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Daily Archives: December 5, 2025
Thank God for the Covenant of Grace
Matthew Henry’s “Method For Prayer”
Thanksgiving 4.27 | ESV
For the covenant of grace made with us in Jesus Christ and all the exceedingly great and precious privileges of that covenant, and for the seals of it.
I thank you that in Jesus Christ you have made an everlasting covenant with me, your steadfast, sure love for David; Isaiah 55:3(ESV) and that though the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, yet this, your covenant of peace, shall never be removed. Isaiah 54:10(ESV)
That you have given to me precious and very great promises, that through them I might become a partaker of the divine nature; 2 Peter 1:4(ESV) and that the covenant Jesus Christ mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. Hebrews 8:6(ESV)
That though you punish my transgression with the rod and my iniquity with stripes, yet you will not remove your steadfast love or be false to your faithfulness; you will not violate your covenant or alter the word that has gone forth from your lips. Psalm 89:32-34(ESV)
That being willing to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of your purpose, you have guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, I who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before me. Hebrews 6:17-18(ESV)
That baptism is appointed to be a seal of the righteousness which is by faith, as circumcision was; Romans 4:11(ESV) that it assures me of the forgiveness of my sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit; and that this promise is for God’s people and their children. Acts 2:38-39(ESV) And that the cup in the Lord’s Supper is the blood of the covenant, which was poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. Matthew 26:28(ESV)
Devotional for December 5, 2025 | Friday: By Faith Alone
Romans 3 From this week’s lessons we learn that Romans 3 can be considered the heart of the Bible because of the clear and comprehensive way it shows us the depth of our sin, and what the Lord Jesus Christ has done to save us from it.
Theme
By Faith Alone
Yesterday we looked at propitiation and justification. The third term is redemption. It is a business term. It has to do with buying something back. In the ancient world much of the commerce had to do with the purchase and selling of slaves, and this term relates particularly to slavery. It meant to buy a slave out of slavery and set the slave free. It is what Jesus has done for us.
Our problem is not merely that we sin and merit sin’s penalty. That is bad enough. But it is also the fact that we are enslaved by sin. That is why there is no one righteous, no one who understands, no one who seeks after God. Sin has us in its power; and, struggle as we will, we cannot get out. But Jesus Christ sets His people free. He fills them with His Spirit, gives them new understanding, sets them on the way they should go, and gives them power to live a new life. So long as we are in this life, sin clings to us. We sin again and again. But we can be free of the power of that sin by the work of our Redeemer.
In the final section of Romans 3 Paul uses the word “faith” eight times. It describes our response to God’s activity. Faith is believing in God. God says, “I sent Jesus Christ to die and be your Savior. He has paid the penalty for your sin. I justify you on the basis of what Jesus Christ has done.” Faith says, “I believe that, and now I am going to act differently as a result.”
Paul uses that word “faith” eight times, as I just said. You find it in verse 22: “This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.” You find it in verse 25: “God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.” In verse 26: “. . . so as to be just and the one who justifies the man who has faith in Jesus.” In verse 27: “On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith.” Verse 28: “. . . A man is justified by faith apart from observing the law.” Verse 30: “There is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith.” Verse 31: “Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.” Paul could hardly emphasize faith more. It is our necessary response to the Gospel.
The Gospel has two parts: your need, because of your utter ruin in sin, and God’s perfect solution in Jesus Christ. The question posed to you by any proclamation of that Gospel is: Will you respond? Will you believe on Jesus? God calls you to receive Him as your Savior. Go in the way He leads and experience His blessing.
Study Questions
- Define the third theological term from Romans 3:21-26.
- How does the Bible understand faith?
Application
Application: Over the past two days, we considered the doctrines of propitiation, justification, and redemption. Do you know them well enough to be able to explain them to someone else, and how they fit together as part of an overall presentation of the Gospel?
For Further Study: At the center of God’s gracious action in the Gospel is the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Download for free and listen to James Boice’s message, “God’s Greatest Gift.” (Discount will be applied at checkout.)
https://www.thinkandactbiblically.org/friday-by-faith-alone/
Preaching The Parables, Pt. 1, Christ in the Parables | Place for Truth
When one thinks of the parables of Jesus, one thinks perhaps of pithy sayings, punchy stories, and moral points. The parables of Jesus are probably most often used by people to moralize. Be like the Good Samaritan. Humble yourself like the prodigal son. This is a tendency, to be sure, in our use of the Bible as a whole, but it is no less so with Jesus’ parables. The parables are associations, and especially short stories, Jesus gave to illustrate a point. But as we find them in the midst of our Gospels, the four canonical accounts we have of the good news of Jesus’ first coming into the world, how do the parables point us to Jesus himself?
We know that the word “gospel” means “good news”. Yet it is rather more involved than that. Our word “gospel” translates the Greek word “evangelion,” from which we get “evangelical”. Evangelion has royal, or imperial, associations: the announcement of a new monarch’s ascension to the throne, or a decisive victory heralded to the kingdom from the front lines of battle. When we turn to the four Biblical Gospels, which one would hope form some part of our conception of “the gospel”, we find strong kingdom associations. Both John the Baptist before him, and then Jesus himself, preach “the gospel of the kingdom”. Jesus’ miracles have been accurately explained as signs of the inbreaking of God’s future kingdom into this present, evil age. What about another major feature of the four Gospels besides their narrative, and not just the Lord’s teaching, but particularly his teaching in parables?
When we begin to study Jesus’ parables, we find that they too are about the kingdom that his appearing embodies. When the disciples ask Jesus to explain a parable to him in Mark’s Gospel, Jesus says, “Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God.” (Mark 4:11) And then he asks them, “Know ye not this parable? and how then will you know all parables?” (Mark 4:13) As this prototypical parable has to do with the kingdom, so do the others that follow: “Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God?” (Mark 4:30)
The Kingdom that Jesus rules, his life-giving reign in the world, is one that is highly capable of illustrative comparison. Like the mustard tree, it grows from a tiny seed to a great plant (Luke 13:18). Like leaven, it will eventually permeate the entirety of the organisms to which it is introduced (Luke 13:20). It is like a precious jewel, a treasure hidden in a field, an economy of workers, a net filled with fish, a marriage feast, a party of bridesmaids, a tree and its fruit, new wine in old wineskins, new cloth on an old garment, a strong man defending his house, a king going to war–and the forgoing list is just scratching the surface of the comparisons Jesus made. What does this tell us about Jesus? No doubt it speaks to many particular aspects of his character and intentions toward us as we consider the specific qualities of his kingdom in each parable. In general, it tells us that the kingdom he brings is eminently relatable to our world. That reality is demonstrated, in turn, by our world’s fittingness to illustrate his kingdom. Put more practically, Jesus’ work of redemption touches, transforms, and illuminates every aspect of our lives. Rather than looking at them first of all as moral lessons to practice, what if we looked at them first as teaching us about Jesus and his kingdom? Having encountered the king and gained a fresh impression of his kingdom, we could then ask, “how ought we then to live”?
Another way in which the parables reveal Jesus is the very fact that they are, above all, stories. This is captured in the title of Richard L. Pratt Jr.’s book, “He Gave Us Stories,” about the Old Testament narratives. In a real sense, what is true of the parables is true of the Bible as a whole. In his parables, Jesus was unlocking God’s world and God’s word. They are full of stories, because our Lord is a storyteller. He is the ultimate storyteller, because he told the greatest story of all not only with his lips, but in his life. He came from a far kingdom to rescue a doomed bride, lay down his life in sacrifice for his friends, show forgiveness and compassion, and restore his people to a prosperous kingdom.
Friday’s Psalm: ‘I will love thee, O Lord, my strength.’ | Morning Studies
I will love thee, O Lord, my strength.
The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.
The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid.
The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me.
In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.
Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth.
There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.
He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under his feet.
And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind.
He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire.
The Lord also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire.
Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them.
Then the channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were discovered at thy rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.
He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters.
He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me.
They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the Lord was my stay.
He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me.
The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.
For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God.
For all his judgments were before me, and I did not put away his statutes from me.
I was also upright before him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity.
Therefore hath the Lord recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.
With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright;
With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward.
For thou wilt save the afflicted people; but wilt bring down high looks.
For thou wilt light my candle: the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness.
For by thee I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall.
As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the Lord is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.
For who is God save the Lord? or who is a rock save our God?
It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.
He maketh my feet like hinds’ feet, and setteth me upon my high places.
He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.
Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great.
Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip.
I have pursued mine enemies, and overtaken them: neither did I turn again till they were consumed.
I have wounded them that they were not able to rise: they are fallen under my feet.
For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle: thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me.
Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies; that I might destroy them that hate me.
They cried, but there was none to save them: even unto the Lord, but he answered them not.
Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind: I did cast them out as the dirt in the streets.
Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people; and thou hast made me the head of the heathen: a people whom I have not known shall serve me.
As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me: the strangers shall submit themselves unto me.
The strangers shall fade away, and be afraid out of their close places.
The Lord liveth; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted.
It is God that avengeth me, and subdueth the people under me.
He delivereth me from mine enemies: yea, thou liftest me up above those that rise up against me: thou hast delivered me from the violent man.
Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name.
Great deliverance giveth he to his king; and sheweth mercy to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for evermore.
Source: Psalm 18 KJV – Bible Gateway
https://rchstudies.christian-heritage-news.com/2025/12/fridays-psalm-i-will-love-thee-o-lord.html
What does it mean that “God gave them over” in Romans 1:24–28? | GotQuestions.org
In Romans 1, the phrase “God gave them over” marks a chilling moment where the wrath of God is revealed not by intervention, but by abandonment. When the ungodly actively suppress the truth and exchange the glory of the Creator for idolatry, God eventually withdraws His restraint, surrendering them to impurity, shameful lusts, and a depraved mind. Why does God choose this specific three-fold method of judgment, and what happens when a society is finally left to the full extent of its own sinful desires? Watch to understand the sobering reality of what it means when God steps back and lets the wicked reap the consequences of rejecting the truth. In this video, pastor nelson answers your question: What does it mean that “God gave them over” in Romans 1:24–28?
*** Source Article:
https://www.gotquestions.org/god-gave-them-over.html
*** Recommended Book:
The Letter to the Romans (New International Commentary on the New Testament (NICNT)
by Douglas J. Moo
https://amzn.to/42ih5LV
*** Related Got Questions Articles:
What are the consequences of rejecting God?
https://www.gotquestions.org/consequences-of-rejecting-God.html
Why do you need to guard your heart above all else (Proverbs 4:23)?
https://www.gotquestions.org/guard-your-heart.html
What does it mean that “they exchanged the truth about God for a lie” (Romans 1:25)?
https://www.gotquestions.org/exchanged-the-truth-of-God-for-a-lie.html
Source: What does it mean that “God gave them over” in Romans 1:24–28? | GotQuestions.org
December 5 Evening Verse of the Day
THE EXTENT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT’S REVELATION
But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; (16:13a)
The agent of Christ’s further revelation to the disciples would be the Spirit of truth. In addition to activating Christ’ promises in the disciples, convicting the world of sin, and comforting Jesus’ followers, the Spirit would also guide the disciples into all the truth. That promise, like the one in 14:26, refers to the Spirit’s supernatural revelation concerning Christ’s person and teaching. It serves as the Lord’s preauthentication of the New Testament writers; the Holy Spirit, who inspired the Old Testament (see the discussion above), would also inspire the New. In 1 Corinthians 2:9–10 Paul wrote of the Spirit’s inspiration of the New Testament writers,
Just as it is written, “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.” For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.
Only the Holy Spirit, since He is God, knows all that God knows, and thus is qualified to reveal divine truth to man.
Because it is impossible for the Spirit of truth to inspire error, the Bible is inerrant (cf. John 17:17). To argue otherwise is an affront to the holy nature of the God who inspired it. Inspiration includes all of Scripture (2 Tim. 3:16), and extends to the very words used by the writers (1 Cor. 2:13; cf. 2 Sam. 23:2). Thus, as R. C. Sproul illustrates, it is absurd to claim to believe in the Bible’s inspiration while denying its inerrancy:
On numerous occasions I have queried several Biblical and theological scholars in the following manner.—“Do you maintain the inerrancy of Scripture?”—“No”—“Do you believe the Bible to be inspired of God?”—“Yes”—“Do you think God inspires error?”—“No”—“Is all of the Bible inspired by God?”—“Yes”—“Is the Bible errant?”—“No!”—“Is it inerrant?”—“No!”—At that point I usually acquire an Excedrin headache. (“The Case for Inerrancy: A Methodological Analysis,” in John Warwick Montgomery, ed. God’s Inerrant Word [Minneapolis: Bethany, 1974], 257)
The Bible’s inspiration also excludes all extrabiblical writings; the sixty-six books of the Bible alone comprise God’s complete and final revelation to man. The Bible concludes with a solemn warning against tampering with or adding to Scripture:
I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book. (Rev. 22:18–19; cf. Deut. 4:2; 12:32; Prov. 30:5–6)
Because Revelation describes the entire sweep of history from the end of the apostolic age to the eternal state, to add to it would be to add to Scripture:
The predictive portions project from John’s lifetime all the way into the eternal state. Any type of prophetic utterance would intrude into the domain of this coverage and constitute either an addition to or subtraction from Revelation’s content. So the final book of the Bible is also the concluding product of NT prophecy. It also marks the close of the NT canon since the prophetic gift was the divinely chosen means for communicating the inspired books of the canon. (Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 8–22: An Exegetical Commentary [Chicago: Moody, 1995], 517)
Scripture was given “so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:17); hence there is no need for any further revelation to supplant or supplement it.
The Lord’s promise that the Spirit will guide believers into all the truth has primary reference to the writers of the New Testament. But it also extends in a secondary sense to the Holy Spirit’s work of illumination (cf. 1 Cor. 2:10–16). He instructs and teaches believers from the inspired Scriptures, as John notes:
But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know.… As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him. (1 John 2:20, 27)
That does not, of course, eliminate the need for the diligent study that is a prerequisite for “accurately handling the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15), especially since there are things “hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort” (2 Peter 3:16). But studying the Bible apart from being filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18) and walking in the Spirit (Gal. 5:16, 25) is fruitless.
THE GOAL OF THE SPIRIT’S REVELATION
for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.” (16:13b–15)
During His incarnation the Lord Jesus Christ did not act on His own initiative, but always did the Father’s will (cf. John 5:19; 7:16; 8:26–29; 14:10). In the unfathomable unity of the Trinity, the Spirit likewise will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak. Like the Son, the Spirit always acts in complete harmony with the Father (cf. Rom. 8:26–27). Thus, the Holy Spirit’s leading will always be consistent with God’s revealed will in the Bible; He will never lead anyone to violate the principles of God’s Word. When He speaks, He speaks through the Scriptures that He inspired. After all, to “be filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18) begins with letting “the word of Christ richly dwell within you” (Col. 3:16; compare Eph. 5:18–6:9 with Col. 3:16–4:1) since the “sword of the Spirit” is “the word of God” (Eph. 6:17).
Specifically, the Holy Spirit would disclose to the disciples what is to come. Like the Lord’s earlier promise that the Spirit would guide the disciples into all the truth, that phrase refers primarily to the New Testament. The New Testament encompasses the entire sweep of history from Pentecost to the eternal state, as well as containing “everything pertaining to life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3).
Having promised that the Spirit would reveal the truth to the disciples, the Lord then gave them the ultimate purpose of the Holy Spirit’s revelation. He will glorify Me, Jesus said, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you. The Holy Spirit’s ministry is to glorify Jesus Christ by disclosing the truth about Him, just as Christ glorified the Father by revealing Him. He does not point to Himself, but to the Son—a truth some Christian groups miss when they focus more on the gifts and blessings of the Holy Spirit than on the person and work of Jesus Christ. The Spirit
would not present an independent message, differing from what [the disciples] had already learned from [Christ]. They would be led further into the realization of his person and in the development of the principles he had already laid down. They would also be enlightened about coming events. He would unfold the truth as the disciples grew in spiritual capacity and understanding. (Merrill C. Tenney, The Gospel of John, in Frank E. Gaebelein, ed. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1981], 9:158)
It is Christ’s glory revealed on the pages of Scripture that the Holy Spirit uses to mold believers into the image of Jesus Christ: “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit” (2 Cor. 3:18; cf. Rom. 8:26–30).
If it is the Spirit’s purpose to glorify Christ in revelation, how can it be any less our purpose to glorify Christ in proclamation?
Finally, it is the witness of the Holy Spirit that ultimately testifies to the truthfulness of Scripture. Though the coherent unity, scientific accuracy, historical verifiability, and fulfilled prophecy of the Bible all mark it as unique (as noted in the beginning of this chapter), in the end only the Holy Spirit can convince lost sinners of its divine inspiration. The Spirit therefore testifies to the truthfulness of Scripture in the hearts of men. Just as in regeneration (John 3:5–8), the Spirit must work in people’s lives for them to change their views of both the Bible (the written Word) and Jesus Christ (the incarnate Word). That sovereign work in the heart and mind convinces men and women that the Bible is from God, that all its words are reliable, and that its message about Jesus Christ is indeed the good news of salvation.
The true believer loves the Word of God (cf. John 8:31–32; 14:15; 2 Thess. 2:10; 1 John 5:2–3) and believes it because of the work of the Spirit (1 Cor. 2:4–5, 14–16; cf. Matt. 16:16–17; John 6:64–70; Rom. 8:5–8; Gal. 1:15–16). Evidences confirm and validate that divine gift of confidence in Holy Scripture.
MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2008). John 12–21 (pp. 206–210). Moody Publishers.
More Words to Come
John 16:12–15
“I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.”
In the second chapter of John there is a story with an interesting final line. The story is of Jesus changing the water in six stone waterpots to wine at a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and it ends with the remark of the master of ceremonies to the bridegroom after he had drunk the wine Jesus made. He said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now” (v. 10). The situation is the same as that which we find in John 16:12–15.
We are nearing the end of the final discourses. Only a summary follows. So the startling thing is that Jesus introduces a new and totally unexpected subject. What is more, it is in a sense the best of all he has been saying.
How can it be the best? That is a hard question to answer when we think of what he had been teaching, particularly in these last discourses. He had taught about heaven. He had taught how to get there. Then he had taught about the works that those who were his disciples should do. He had taught about prayer, saying that whatever the disciples should ask in his name he would do. Best of all, he had taught about the Holy Spirit, how he should come after Christ had himself returned to heaven and how he should comfort the disciples, teach them, cause them to be spiritually fruitful, and finally convict the world of its sin in order that it might find righteousness in Christ and escape God’s judgment. It is at this point, after all that teaching, that the words we are studying come in.
How can this last subject be the best of all? The answer is in the nature of the subject itself: Christ’s promise of even more teachings to come. Jesus says, “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come” (vv. 12–13). In other words, although Jesus had taught his disciples what seem to us to be many significant doctrines, there were nevertheless many more things still to be taught. Although he was departing, it would be the work of the Holy Spirit to communicate these teachings.
A New Revelation
Even at this point, we have not really captured the full wonder of Christ’s promise, however, for by reading these verses closely, particularly in the original language, we find that it is not simply that the Holy Spirit was going to teach the disciples in the same sense, for instance, that the Holy Spirit may be said to teach us. He would presumably do that for the disciples also, as for us, but that is not what the verses mean. The true sense emerges when we learn that an important word has been dropped out of verse 13 in several versions. It is the word “the,” and it comes before “truth.” When we understand this, we see that it is not just into some general idea of truth that the Holy Spirit is said to be coming to guide the apostles, but rather into all “the truth,” that is, into a definite body of material centering on Christ. This, we recognize, is nothing other than the New Testament. So the promise is that the Holy Spirit would be the vehicle of a new revelation through those specifically commissioned to this ministry. The Revised Standard Version and the New English Bible render this verse correctly.
This is startling. If the disciples understood what Jesus was saying, it was startling to them, for they were Jews and were therefore well aware of the unique, divine character of the Old Testament. They knew, as the Book of Hebrews says, that “God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways” (1:1). They knew that the law had come “through Moses” (John 1:17). They believed that the law was “holy, righteous and good” (Rom. 7:12). This law was in every Jewish synagogue. It was God’s greatest gift to Israel. How, then, could there be a further revelation? It would have seemed unnecessary, unbelievable. Yet this is precisely what Christ was promising.
This is not a promise of inspiration that is made generally to all Christians in all periods of the church. If we think like that, we fall into William Barclay’s error. If you turn to Barclay’s discussion of this passage, you find that he says two things. First, he says that these verses teach that “revelation is bound to be a progressive process.” Expressed rightly, that is true. God has revealed himself progressively in a certain sense in the writings that compose our Bible, but Barclay takes it to mean, first, that the earlier revelations were imperfect or wrong (at least in part) and, second, that there is no end to God’s revelation. In combination, this means that Jesus is still imparting truth today and that this truth can modify, correct, or supercede the truth previously given. This is not Jesus’ teaching, nor is it suggested or permitted by this passage. On the contrary, Jesus is teaching that the Holy Spirit would lead the disciples into a supplementary but definitive new revelation that thereafter would be the church’s authoritative standard of doctrine.
The second thing Barclay says in his commentary is that the operation of the Holy Spirit to lead us into truth applies in all areas. He gives some examples. First, he notes that when H. F. Lyte wrote the hymn “Abide with Me,” he had no feeling of actually composing the verses. Instead, he wrote them—so Barclay says—as if by dictation. Next, Barclay talks about music, noting that Handel said of his writing the Hallelujah Chorus of the Messiah: “I saw the heavens opened, and … God sitting on the Throne.” Finally, Barclay adds that the same is true of the scientist who discovers something that will help the world and make life better for the human race.
We have to make a distinction here, however, for it is not that “Abide with Me” is not a beautiful hymn, or that the Hallelujah Chorus is not truly an inspiring composition, or that a scientist may not be guided by God to discover something that will be beneficial to humanity. Certainly the Holy Spirit works in that way. He works in every area of life. But these things are in a different category from what the Lord is talking about in John 16:12–15. What the Lord is promising to do here is to work by the Holy Spirit in the apostles to give us our New Testament. This revelation is authoritative and inerrant, as the others (even if we refer to them by the terms “revelations” or “inspirations”) are not.
This is a point at which we have to allow the whole weight of the Word of God to come to bear. Reuben A. Torrey has a good discussion of this in his book The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit. He points out, first, that there is a diversity of gifts according to the Word of God and that this diversity relates to different positions in the church and church history. Torrey turns to 1 Corinthians to show this. Thus, in 12:4–6, Paul says, “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.” Later in the chapter, while still thinking about these gifts, he writes of the various people involved. “And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in differenct kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?” (vv. 28–30). Paul here relates the gifts to the various offices, saying that some gifts apply to one office and other gifts to another. We therefore rightly expect that God gave the apostles their own particular function and gift.
Second, says Torrey, there are passages that teach that the particular function of the apostles was to receive the new revelation. An example is Ephesians 3:2–5. Again Paul is writing. “Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets.” Paul’s point is that his teaching was profound not because he was a particularly brilliant person but because God had revealed this teaching to him. His unique role (along with the other apostles) was to receive and record this revelation.
Finally, Torrey makes the point that this revelation is embodied in words. Note what Paul says: “This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words” (1 Cor. 2:13). This is the biblical picture. So we understand that in John 16 the Lord Jesus Christ is pointing to that day—it was not far off at that moment—when the Holy Spirit would speak through these apostles as he had spoken in time past unto the fathers by the prophets. In other words, there was to be a New Testament, a new chapter in the history of God’s dealings with men.
Diverse Revelation
These verses also say something else. They tell about the nature of this new revelation, giving general categories of its content. These are three. Sometimes, as I read the notes in the Scofield Bible, I am not particularly impressed with what is written. But in this particular case the notes are remarkable. At the bottom of this page in my Bible we are told that Jesus outlined the general categories of the New Testament revelation in advance and that these are: historical, doctrinal, and prophetic. This is exactly right. The New Testament fulfills this pattern precisely.
First, there is a historical element to the New Testament. This is involved in verse 13, in which Jesus says of the Holy Spirit, “He will guide you into all [the] truth.” That is, “He will guide you into the truth concerning me.” In 14:26 the historical element is made even clearer, for there Christ says, “He will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have said to you.” In other words, the disciples were likely to forget certain things that happened, but the Holy Spirit would bring these historical events to their minds. What events are these? Obviously, they are the events connected with Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. Do we have that in the New Testament? Of course. This is the substance of the Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, John—and also Acts.
Christianity begins with a historical revelation. It is this that sets Christianity off from other religions. It sets it off from mythology. It sets it off from philosophy. These systems of thought conceive of religion largely as a pattern of ideas and of salvation as learning certain things. But this is not the essence of Christianity. Christianity has ideas, that is true; but the ideas are based upon fact, and the facts are determinative.
The historical basis also cuts Christianity off from an evolutionary religion. Such a religion says that people thousands of years ago had primitive ideas of God but that, as they grew in knowledge, their ideas of God grew and their writings about God showed progression. This went on and on up to the New Testament period and then beyond it to the point where today we can drop certain things we consider unworthy of a true conception of God and add other things we consider to be valuable. Christianity’s historical base undercuts all that; the basis of the revelation is the historical action of God in history. This centers primarily in the cross of Christ. God did something at the cross. He did not just teach an idea. He did not just show himself in some vague way. He atoned for sin at the cross; he also revealed his love and showed his judgment. Any understanding of the faith that departs from that historical basis is heresy.
Doctrine
Second, there was also to be a doctrinal element in the New Testament. This is indicated by Jesus when he says, again of the Holy Spirit, “He will take what is mine, and make it known to you” or, as in 14:26, “He will teach you all things.” Do we have that in the New Testament? Of course, we do. We have it in the Epistles, beginning with the great letter to the Romans, which unfolds Christian doctrine in its fullest form, continuing through the Epistles that deal with particular problems in theology, and ending with those books that are pastoral in nature—1 and 2 Timothy; Titus; 1, 2, and 3 John; 1 and 2 Peter; and Jude.
This is also important, because, while it is true that we must stress facts, while it is true that we must say that Christianity differs from all other religions because of the fact that God has done something in history, still it is not just the mere fact of God’s having done this that is important; it is also what the facts mean. Thus, we say that God came in Jesus. But the significance of that is that God is revealed in certain categories. Because of Jesus, we know God to be love, justice, compassion, mercy, and many other attributes. Or again, we say that Jesus died. True enough! But that in itself is not significant. All men die. Why did he die? At this point we need teaching. So the Epistles are given to show us why Jesus Christ died and what the full implications of this are. He died for sin. He died for our sin, in our place. Moreover, he died in order that he might call out a people destined to be conformed to his own image and to be with him forever. The Epistles teach these as well as other doctrines we need to learn.
Things to Come
Finally, there is the prophetic element. Jesus indicates this when he says at the end of verse 13, “And he will tell you what is yet to come.” Do we have that in the New Testament? Yes, we have. We have it scattered throughout the New Testament in various references (Matthew 24; 25; Mark 13; Romans 11; 1 Corinthians 15; etc.), but particularly in the Book of Revelation.
What shall come when the Lord returns in power at the end of the age? There can be a preoccupation with prophecy that is debilitating. A person can become so fascinated with what is to come that he does not live for Christ now. Sometimes that happens. But the importance of prophecy is in the indication that God is still at work in history. He does not just deal with us in some static way so that our period of history is absolutely identical with that of those who lived in an earlier period and with that of those who will come later. Rather, God is doing unique things in history—working with people, unfolding a plan—so that what each one does is important. Moreover, these workings are leading up to the day when the Lord will return, at which time God will have gathered his own out of the world and will have demonstrated the reality of the Christian faith in such a way that all will see that the Lord’s way is the only way that anyone can be personally fulfilled and find true blessing.
These verses also tell us why this revelation—involving history, doctrine, and prophecy—has been given. The Lord indicates this by saying, “He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you” (v. 14). It is not just that we are told certain doctrines in order that we might know things. Nor are the end times revealed so that we can simply have a private inside track to the meaning of history. These things are taught to us in order that the Lord Jesus Christ might be glorified. This is the Holy Spirit’s ministry. “He will not speak on his own,” said Jesus, “he will … [take] from what is mine and [make] it known to you” (vv. 13–14).
As you study the Bible the Holy Spirit will continue to do the work he began in an authoritative way with the inspiration of the New Testament documents. The Holy Spirit, the true author of these books, will lead you to see the Lord Jesus Christ and bring you to the point of increasing obedience and service to him.
Boice, J. M. (2005). The Gospel of John: an expositional commentary (pp. 1215–1220). Baker Books.
- But when he is come, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you into all the truth.
Jesus does not indicate the exact time when the Spirit is going to come. He says, “When” or “whenever.” Though the word for Spirit is neuter in the original, the pronoun which refers to this Spirit is masculine. Hence, it is clear that the Spirit is thought of as a person. See also on 14:16. For the meaning of the expression “Spirit of truth,” see on 14:17.
The function of the Holy Spirit in the Church is described as that of guiding, literally: “leading the way.” The Spirit does not use external weapons. He does not drive; he leads. He exerts his influence upon the regenerated consciousness of the child of God (and here, in particular, of the office-bearers), and enlarges upon the themes which were introduced by Jesus during his earthly sojourn. Thus, he guides into all the truth, that is, into the whole (with emphasis on this adjective) body of redemptive revelation. The Holy Spirit never rides a hobby. He never stresses one point of doctrine at the expense of all the others. He leads into all the truth. Moreover, in the carrying out of this task he stands in intimate relationship to the other persons of the Trinity. We read: For he will not speak of himself, but whatever he hears he will speak. Father and Spirit are one in essence. What the Spirit hears from the Father he, in and through the Word, whispers into the hearts of believers. He is ever searching the depths of God. He comprehends them and reveals them to God’s children (1 Cor. 2:10, 11). In saying what he hears the Spirit is just like the Son, for the latter also speaks what he has heard from (and seen while with) the Father (3:11; 7:16; 8:24; 12:49; 14:10, 24). And he will announce to you the things that are to come. The Spirit will come (16:8); he will lead into all the truth (16:13a); and he will announce the things that are to come (16:13b). For the first, see the book of Acts (particularly chapter 2); for the second, see the epistles; for the third see the book of Revelation. Not as if these three could be so sharply divided. Epistles and Revelation constantly assume the presence of the Spirit; the epistles contain much revelation with respect to the things that are to come (for example, 1 Cor. 15; 2 Thess. 2). But by and large the distinction which was made is a good one. Of course, when the Spirit declares the things that are to come, he does not begin to enumerate a long list of specific, day-by-day occurrences, but he predicts the underlying principles.
Hendriksen, W., & Kistemaker, S. J. (1953–2001). Exposition of the Gospel According to John (Vol. 2, pp. 328–329). Baker Book House.
Not Forgotten | VCY
Thou art my servant: O Israel, thou shalt not be forgotten of me. (Isaiah 44:21)
Our Jehovah cannot so forget His servants as to cease to love them. He chose them not for a time but forever. He knew what they would be when He called them into the divine family. He blots out their sins like a cloud; and we may be sure that He will not turn them out of doors for iniquities which He has blotted out. It would be blasphemy to imagine such a thing.
He will not forget them so as to cease to think of them. One forgetful moment on the part of our God would be our ruin. Therefore He says, “Thou shalt not be forgotten of me,” Men forget us; those whom we have benefited turn against us. We have no abiding place in the fickle hearts of men; but God will never forget one of His true servants. He binds Himself to us not by what we do for Him but by what He has done for us. We have been loved too long and bought at too great a price to be now forgotten. Jesus sees in us His soul’s travail, and that He never can forget. The Father sees in us the spouse of His Son, and the Spirit sees in us His own effectual work. The Lord thinketh upon us. This day we shall be succored and sustained. Oh, that the Lord may never be forgotten of us!
https://www.vcy.org/charles-spurgeon/2025/12/05/not-forgotten/
Consequences of Unforgiveness | In Touch Ministries Daily Devotions
The Gospel According to Carols | Michelle Lesley
Originally published December 17, 2019
During the Christmas seasons of 2019 and 2020, I ran a meme series on my social media pages called The Gospel According to Carols. Many of our favorite Christmas carols include the gospel, so this was a series of memes with gospel quotes from Christmas carols to help keep our focus on the gospel during the hustle and bustle of the season.
Many of our favorite Christmas carols include the gospel. The Gospel According to Carols is a series of memes with gospel quotes from Christmas carols to help keep our focus on the gospel during the hustle and bustle of the season.Tweet
The series was so popular I decided to add it to my collection of annual Christmas blog articles. All of the memes are posted below. The title of the carol precedes each meme(s) and is linked to a YouTube video of that carol in case you’d like to listen. In addition to sharing these around on social media (or using them as your cover photo) to remind ourselves, our friends, and our family of the true reason for Christ’s incarnation, I thought of a few other ways you might like to use these.
Decorative Place Cards
In my article (and podcast) 10 Ways to Share the Gospel During the Holidays, I mentioned printing out these Bible verse memes on thankfulness and placing one at each place setting on your Thanksgiving dinner table as a way of initiating gospel conversations. The Gospel According to Carols memes could be used in the same way at your Christmas party or dinner.
Christmas Cards and Gift Tags
Not crazy about the rapidly dwindling selection of Christmas cards at your local retailer? Choose one or more of these designs, print them out on card stock and use them for Christmas cards. Or, minimize them to gift tag size, add a “to” and a “from,” print them out on card stock, and use them for labeling all your Christmas gifts.
Party Game
Instead of “Name that Tune,” make it “Name that Carol” by reading the quote aloud and having your guests guess which Christmas carol it came from.
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Silent Night
Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming
Child in the Manger
O Little Town of Bethlehem
The First Noel
Good Christian Men Rejoice
We Three Kings
Joy to the World
Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne
While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks
Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus
Glorious Impossible
Unshakable Peace – Part 2 | Daily Radio Program with Charles Stanley…
Advent: Thirty Days of Jesus, Day 10- the Boy Jesus at the Temple | Elizabeth Prata
By Elizabeth Prata
The Bible is intentionally blank where Jesus’ boyhood is concerned. After His birth, the Bible is silent on what Jesus was doing. All we know is He lived in Galilee. We know as a child, not a baby, He was taken by his parents to Egypt, to flee Herod’s rage. And now suddenly He is 12 years old and in the Temple.
With Him are wisdom and might; To Him belong counsel and understanding (Job 12:13).
Other than the Magi’s visit to the child, this alone stands out as the sole incident recorded in the Bible about Jesus childhood, or even adulthood before the first Miracle at Cana. Since the Holy Spirit chose to include this single event in the boy Jesus’ life, it bears study.
Further Reading:
The Day Jesus Went AWOL
Second, in this account are recorded the very first words of our Lord Jesus. Naturally, no words were recorded from the birth and infancy of Christ. Many of our Lord’s words were recorded from His later ministry. But the words of our Lord in this text are His first recorded words, and very important words they are indeed.
Twelve-year-old Jesus goes to the Temple
After the host of witnesses to Jesus in Luke 1:5–2:40, Jesus now speaks for himself for the first time. This is the literary climax of Luke’s initial section and shows the sense of mission and self-awareness Jesus possesses. Jesus has a unique relationship to God and a clear sense of his calling, one that transcends his relationship to his earthly parents.
The Son of God at twelve years old
This is the only story in the gospels about Jesus between his infancy and his public ministry as a man. Some have argued that the story is a legend created by the early church to fill in some of the gaps in their knowledge of Jesus’ life. What shall we say to this claim?
“The Theology of Sleep” | Grace to You on Oneplace.com
You’ve probably heard that a Bible that’s falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn’t. One reason: When you consistently read and meditate on Scripture, you’re reminded of why you can trust God for your every need.
Source: “The Theology of Sleep”
Why God Allowed Differences in the Gospels (A Detective’s Take)
Eternally Secure, Part 2 | From the MLJ Archive on Oneplace.com
Romans 8:28-30 — In this sermon on Romans 8:28–30 titled “Eternally Secure (2),” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones continues to press the issue of the final perseverance of the saints by examining the flaws exegetically and theologically. He even questions, what if his opponents are correct? What if a regenerated, born-again Christian finally did go to perdition and fell away from their position “in Christ”? Are there any negative implications for this apostasy position? Dr. Lloyd-Jones carefully and consistently works out the meaning of his opponent’s position with regards to the ultimate purpose of salvation itself. While Dr. Lloyd-Jones’s opponents would rightly affirm that salvation is about forgiveness of sin and they can now go to heaven, he suggests that is not the ultimate purpose of salvation. The main purpose of salvation is the glory of God, the vindication of His glory, and the sovereignty of the character of God. This ultimate purpose, says Dr. Lloyd-Jones, changes everything, namely the assurance of the outcome of God’s glory. Moreover, there are opportunities for pride as those who deny the final perseverance of the saints are forced to deny that it is ultimately God who causes endurance until the end, and instead must affirm that there is some quality inside those who are received into glory that is different from those who fall away. There is great comfort in knowing that the God who began the believer’s salvation will truly see it completed to the end. Listen as Dr. Lloyd-Jones encourages believers in the great truth of eternal security.
Source: Eternally Secure, Part 2
There Are Only Two Religions in the Whole World | Possessing the Treasure
by John G. Reisinger
There are basically only two religions in the world. One says, “If you will do such and such, God will graciously bestow His blessing upon you.” The thousand and one varieties of this religion differ only on what the “such and such” is that you must be willing to do. One variety says bathe in a sacred river, another bids you kiss the sacred rock located in the holy city, still another says be baptized or some similar rite, and in distinctly evangelical circles this religion emphasizes, “If you will open your heart, then God . . .”
Notice carefully the three key words IF YOU WILL.
- God’s forgiveness is possible IF …..
- God’s forgiveness is possible if YOU…
- God’s forgiveness is possible if you WILL. . . .
The ultimate success or failure of this religion is determined solely by the will of man. Everything depends on an “if,” and on “you,” and on “your willingness” to do your part. Redemption is always conditional since it depends on man’s cooperation for success. The great work of salvation is not actually accomplished until God can find someone who is willing to “cooperate with Him.” Our forefathers called this “if you will” system the “religion of works.” It was also called “Arminianism” and “semi-Pelagianism” since these were the men who originally caused division in the church by introducing this error of free will. Regardless of the name attached to it by friend or foe, the distinguishing marks are always the same – the IF, the YOU, and YOUR WILL are the decisive factors that make the plan of salvation work. This religion offers a wonderful plan of salvation that is able to do mighty things if you will only let it. The God of this free will religion can only desire and offer to save sinners. He is helpless to secure, by His own power, what He longs to do. The goal of redemption cannot be reached unless man, of his own free will, chooses to permit God to accomplish His purposes.
The false religion of free will, or works, is based upon several unbiblical doctrines. The most basic of these is the universal and indiscriminate redemptive love of God. God is said to love all men in the same way and to the same degree. He loved Judas the same as Peter, Esau like Jacob, and the goats as much as the sheep. Since His love is universal then the greatest gift of His love, Jesus Christ His Son, must have been given to provide a universal atonement, meaning for every individual without exception, in His death. The objects of the Son’s atonement must be equal to the objects of the Father’s love, so both must include every man. If the Father loves all men equally, and the Son redeemed every man without exception, it follows that the Holy Spirit must convict every man or else the Trinity is not working together toward the same end in the task of redeeming lost men.
FALLACY OF FREE-WILL
The fallacy of this religion is revealed when we ask a simple and obvious question: “Why are not all men saved?” It is not the Father’s fault for He loves all men in the same way. It cannot be because Christ did not pay for their sins since in the system of free will, Christ has redeemed (but did not save?) all men. The Holy Spirit cannot be blamed since He convicts all for whom Christ died; that is, every man without exception. Some may say, “I do not believe that last statement about the convicting work of the Holy Spirit.” If you reject this then you must reject the other two points also. You cannot believe in a universal love of the Father and a universal atonement by the Son, and then upset it all with a “limited” conviction by the Spirit. No, no; it is either universalism or particularism. You cannot have it both ways. As I mentioned, here is the fallacy. A “plan of salvation” that has God the Father’s love behind it, God the Son’s atonement for its foundation, and God the Holy Spirit’s power applying it should certainly succeed, but, alas, the plan of redemption is foiled by man’s mighty free will every time a soul goes to hell! We repeat our question, “Why does it fail? Why do some men perish?” The religion of free will answers, “It fails only because man is not willing to do his part.” Those who perish do so only because they will not accept what the Father’s love longs to give them, what the Son’s agonizing death bought for them, and what the Holy Spirit’s mighty power tirelessly tries to persuade them to accept. If you will only do your part” is the message we must preach. If you will just furnish the faith! If you will just take the first step in response to God’s offer! If you will only cooperate and give God a chance to make His plan work! If you will . … then God! This is the earnest, but none less pathetic, cry of the preachers of the religion of free will.
It should be amply clear that this religion of works, or free will, based on a universal love and universal atonement, makes God’s whole scheme of redemption depend on man for its success. God’s love will prevail if man will let it. Christ’s atonement will actually redeem only if man will let it. The Holy Spirit will apply redemption’s purchased benefits if man will allow Him. No wonder C. H. Spurgeon, that great soul winner, called free will “utter nonsense,” and universal atonement a “monstrous doctrine akin to blasphemy.”
Now the second religion is the message of the Bible. It is the gospel of FREE GRACE. It does not look to God for the provision and then turn to man for the power, but it boldly proclaims that the same sovereign grace that planned salvation for helpless sinners also furnishes them with the ability to desire and receive it. This second religion not only starts at a different place, it works on a different principle, and moves toward a different goal. In short, it is a totally different religion. The religion based on free will (Arminianism – If you will …), and that based of free grace (Calvinism – God makes us willing …) are two very distinct and opposite religions that differ on every theological point at which they meet. Any individual who piously says, “It is really not important, it is merely a question of emphasis,” is either deliberately dishonest or completely ignorant of Bible doctrine in church history. The Synod of Dort and the Council of Trent clarified forever the vital importance of the issue once and for all time. I challenge any man to read Dr. J. I. Packer’s introduction to the Death of Death in the Death of Christ by John Owen, and then talk about emphasis. Packer clearly shows that free will and free grace are totally different religions, and furthermore, that they are irreconcilable enemies.
The difficulty in our present generation is with the so-called “Cal-minian.” He thinks a Calvinist is a person who believes in eternal security, and an Arminian is a person who believes you can be saved and lost. The Cal-minian is totally unaware that the issue in church history, as well as in the Scriptures, involves the will of man and the application of salvation not the will of God and the duration of salvation. The great gulf between Arminianism (free will) and Calvinism (free grace) is not whether you can be saved and then lost. That is a very minor point compared to the issue as understood by the Puritans and Reformers. The center of the issue is, “Who actually effects redemption?” It is not just a question of who finishes it once it has been started, but whose power applies the gospel at the beginning of conversion as well as who carries it on to the end. The Bible asserts that a sinner’s need is far greater before conversion – he is unable to obey, repent, or believe. Cal-minianism says, “No, the sinner has all the power he needs to become a Christian, but only God’s power can keep him after he has ‘decided to accept Christ’ and become a Christian.” The sinner has the will power to get up of the grave yard of sin and come to Christ, but only God can keep him from falling after he has “taken the first step.”
WHO WEARS THE CROWN?
As you can see, the real battle ground is the nature of man, and the prize to be won is the Crown of Credit for making redemption’s plan actually work. Is free grace, given sovereignly by the Father, the decisive factor that causes the elect to believe in the first place, or is man’s will, exercised sovereignly by the individual, the decisive factor that causes God to choose these whom He “foresees” are willing to believe? Who wins the right to wear the crown of glory, God or man? And by what power was that right won – free will or free grace?
The basic difference between these two opposing religions can also be summed up by asking another question, a question vitally related to the first one. Instead of asking how any man can perish, and being told that, “the man would not do his part which was to simply believe,” we now ask, “Why are some men saved?” How is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit’s work able to succeed in some cases but not in others? The religion of free will humbly (?) answers that “man made it all possible by being willing to open his heart and give God a chance!” It does not matter if we are speaking of those who perish or those who are saved, we always come back to that if you will. Actually, the gospel based on free will can never be more than a gospel of mere possibility. It is a plan of redemption that cannot truly redeem by its own power, but can only effect real salvation when it finds someone who make themselves willing to do “their part.” It is not a question of whether a man must, or does, become willing before he can be saved, we all believe that, but who and what power makes the sinner willing? Does man, of himself, choose to become willing, or does God, by His sovereign power, make His elect willing “in the day of His power” (Ps. 110:3)? It seems both logical and judicially necessary to crown with glory the individual who made the plan of salvation actually work, and the free willer does not hesitate to reach for the crown and place it on the head of the sovereign and free will of man.
Some folks may feel we are laboring this point to an extreme, but actually this is the heart of the matter. Who really deserves all the glory for man’s salvation? It cannot be both God and man, nor can it be, as many would imply, half and half. Either God saves sinners by “making them willing in the day of His power,” or they save themselves by making themselves willing in the “day of their free will decision.”
Let me demonstrate quickly how sharp and clear the contrast is and how obviously either God or man gets the glory at each point.
(A) FREE WILL – God chooses those whom He foreknows will, of their own free will, decide to accept Him. (B) FREE GRACE – God gives faith to those whom He has sovereignly chosen.
(A) FREE WILL – Christ’s blood has redeemed every man, but only those willing to “accept” what Christ accomplished are saved. It is actually our faith that saves us. (B) FREE GRACE – Christ saves every person whom He redeemed with His blood.
(A) FREE WILL – Those who are willing to believe enable the Holy Spirit to regenerate them, or give them a new heart. (B) FREE GRACE – The Holy Spirit regenerates the elect, or gives a new heart, and enables sinners to believe.
Perhaps someone else is thinking, “But does all this really matter as long as we just preach the simple gospel? Are not these theological problems that have no practical implications and only cause arguments and divisions between Christians and are therefore better left alone?” Our Lord and His Apostles thought these things were vitally important. The Puritans and Reformers believed the preaching of free will was the root error. In their minds to preach free will was to overthrow the gospel itself. They felt it was their duty to God and His church to do all in their power to refute the false idea of free will. It should be added that Rome felt exactly the opposite. She instructed her missionaries going into Protestant countries to “begin to overthrow these diabolical doctrines by reasserting the free will of man.” The Jesuits saw free grace as the real enemy to their system of works, or rather, their system of free will. These are historical facts! Let those who believe it is only an emphasis at least read what men like Martin Luther had to say in his monumental work The Bondage of the Will. History has branded the word “error” across the doctrine of free will, and marked those who preach it as enemies, even if unwittingly so, of both the gospel and the souls of men.
Now I am aware that many have lost their taste for historic confirmation of the message they declare, but this is only because they do not like the company they are forced to keep as they walk back into time. Men today like to feel they are in the tradition of Knox, Luther, Whitfield, Spurgeon, etc., but when history, the creeds and confessions, and the Reformers and Puritans are seen as united in their outspoken condemnation of free will, then men exclaim, “We believe the Bible not Creeds. We believe what God says, not what men say.” Far too often this defensive cry really means, “We believe our own creeds as opposed to those formulated in history. We accept what our leaders say today and reject what men said yesterday.” J. C. Ryle, in his introduction to Holiness, has answered this attitude better than I ever could. Ryle is not discussing the same point of doctrine (He is discussing Romans seven) that we are, but he is discussing the same type of person mentioned above. He shows that the pious attitude that will not look at history and the creeds under the guise of exalting the Bible as our only rule is often in reality only a dodge to keep from facing the issues.
The commentators who do not take this view have been…the Romanist, the Socinians, and the Arminians. Against them is arrayed the judgement of almost all the Reformers, almost all the Puritans…I shall be told, of course, that no man in infallible, that the Reformers, Puritans…may have been entirely mistaken, and the Romanist, Socinians, and Arminians may have been quite right! Our Lord has taught us, no doubt, to “call no man master.” But while I ask no man to call the Reformers and Puritans “masters,” I do ask people to read what they say…, and answer their arguments, if they can. This has not been done yet! To say, as some do, that they do not want human “dogmas” and “doctrines,” is no reply at all. The whole point at issue is, “What is the meaning of…Scripture…What is the true sense of its words?” At any rate let us remember that there is a great fact which cannot be got over. On one side stand the opinions and interpretations of Romanist, Socinians, and Arminians. Let that be distinctly understood. From: Holiness, by J. C. Ryle, page xii
We add to Ryle’s words, believe and preach free will if you dare, but be honest enough to admit you are not even a tenth cousin to the Reformers. Tell people you would have been forced to oppose Knox, Spurgeon, Edwards, and Whitfield on the Doctrines of Grace had you lived in their day.
Before concluding this editorial, I would point out a few current problems that owe their birth, nurture, and present growth to the Arminian doctrine of free will. I am not insinuating that every one who believes free will is guilty of these specific practices. I am saying that each of these practices is the direct and logical result of believing and preaching free will over a period of time.
One: It Puts the Wrong Person on Trial.
Christ is pictured as on trial before men. God’s great love has given His Son into our hands and we must “do something with Jesus.” Now this ignores and contradicts two important Biblical facts upon which the true gospel is built. First, all men have already done something with Jesus, and it was the greatest crime we every committed. Second, God has done something with Jesus, and what God did is our only hope of salvation.
It is true that God put His Son within the reach of human hands, but when He did, we all showed the hatred in our hearts and cried, “Away with Him! Crucify Him!” And furthermore, Romans 8:7,8 teaches us that if the opportunity were given to us again, we would still despise Him and declare `We will not have this man to rule over us.’ Luke 19:14 records what we decided to do with Jesus.
Now God the Father has also done something with His Son. He raised Him from the dead and gave Him all power, or authority, of all flesh. This “all power” (Mt. 28:18; Rom. 1:4) is total authority over every single person. Christ alone has the authority to Judge all men (Acts 17:31). He also power to save some men (John 17:2). At this very moment Jesus Christ is every man’s Lord. Regardless of color or creed, all men, without a single exception, are in His hands to either damn or save. Only Christ has the power to either save or damn anyone, and He must do one or the other with each individual person. The question is not, What are you going to do with Jesus?, but rather, What is Jesus, Who has been declared to be the Lord, going to do with you? Read Acts 2:32-36 and ask yourself what the “therefores” mean. Peter is declaring that the marvelous exhibition of power at Pentecost was not due to the influence of wine, but a demonstration of the ascended Christ’s power over all flesh. Peter was not trying to get sinners to do something with Jesus by “deciding for Him,” he was reminding them of what they had already done – crucified the Lord of Glory and Prince of Life. The Apostle further declares what God has done – put Jesus upon an eternal throne with the keys of life and death and then gave Him the exclusive authority to use those keys to open and shut heavens door for “whom He will.” It was this power, not the power of the crowd’s so-called free will, that made the men cry out, Men and brethren, what shall we do?”
You see, the religion of free will makes faith and repentance a display of man’s power of choice, but the Scriptures make them to be a display of Christ’s ascended power to make dead men live. To the free will Arminian, faith and repentance are the sinner’s contribution to the plan of salvation. He presents these as gifts to God to show that he has “decided to accept Christ,” or rather, he has decided to “give Christ a chance.” However, the Bible makes it clear that faith and repentance are gifts of the ascended Lord which He purchased for His sheep. Regeneration is not the Spirit’s response to our faith, but is the effectual call of the Shepherd that enables His sheep to hear His voice, turn from their wandering, and savingly embrace the gospel promise of forgiveness.
Two: The Wrong Person Gets the Credit
When someone “accepts” Jesus, that person is congratulated for his courage and determination in “stepping out for Christ,” the evangelist is extolled for his powerful preaching, and the people who gave the money and prayed for the campaign are praised for making it all possible. The glory of election and the grace of effectual calling are not only not mentioned, they are deliberately denied. The reports go out next day that “We had twenty first time decisions last night.” Read the biographies of Bonar, McCheyne, Edwards, Whitfield, Spurgeon, or any other giant of the past and you will never once hear such God dishonoring and man exalting language. I dare you to read of David Brainerd and try to imagine that Godly man saying, “I had six decisions last night.” The very idea is an insult to that godly man’s memory.
Now why did all these men of God, men I should mention who had experienced true Holy Spirit revival under their preaching like our generation has never seen, report the dealings of God with their own souls and that of the souls influenced under their ministry in an entirely different manner than men today? They knew that every conversion was a display of the Father’s election, the Son’s specific atonement, and the Holy Spirit’s effectual call. It was only natural for them to attribute the glory and praise to the source that had caused the effect. They praised the Triune God because He was responsible for the power they saw manifested each time a soul was born again. Since our generation is Arminian, that is, believes in free will, it just as naturally gives the credit to those it feels are responsible for the work accomplished. The sinner, whose “decision” displays both his good judgment and the power of his will to carry it out, must be congratulated. It would be both unkind and unfair to exclude from our praise the evangelist who “won” the person to Christ by persuading him to make the right choice, and we must also mention all the people who “made it all possible” with money and prayers.
Three: The True Nature of Sin and Guilt is Denied
Sinners are told they are guilty of unbelief, but this unbelief is pictured as merely a tragic mistake that the man is making. This mistake consists in the sinner’s unwillingness to “accept” the many wonderful benefits that God longs to give him. His unbelief is really no more than a rather foolish mistake that deprives him of some blessings. Men are treated as “neutral” in respect to the character of God and His rights as our Creator are never mentioned. Our job as witnesses is to merely persuade sinners to carefully consider all they are missing by refusing to “accept Christ’s offer.” Now the Apostles did not view sin in general, nor the sin of unbelief in particular, in such a light. Those inspired preachers considered unbelief a vile crime against God, His law, and His kingdom. Men were not asked to make up their minds and decide for Jesus; they were told in no uncertain terms to change their minds and cease in their fixed rebellion – or else! Of course the Apostles spoke of mercy for sinners but they also demanded repentance and evidence that it was genuine. Again, I would urge you to read Packer’s introduction to Death of Death for a clear contrast between the message of the “old gospel” as preached by the Apostles, Reformers, and Puritans and the “new gospel” as preached by most evangelicals and fundamentalist today.
Four: It Tells the Sinner to Look in the Wrong Direction
The most drastic error in free will religion lies at the very heart of its message. At the point where a helpless sinner needs God’s help and power the most, the sinner is deliberately and dogmatically pointed away from God and told to look to himself. Arminianism tells men that God will not, yea, He cannot, do any more than He has already done. Read C. H. Spurgeon’s article, ‘Should We Preach Total Depravity?’, on page 7, and see how he emphasized the need to “throw sinners down in utter helplessness.” Free will informs the sinner that he is not helpless at the beginning of conversion; in fact this error boldly declares that it is only the sinner’s power that can do the job at this point. God waits for the man to furnish the power – the will power. The poor sinner is told, “God has done all He can do, it is now all up to you.” Instead of throwing sinners down, this is exalting them. Instead of forcing them to look up to God in utter helplessness to find grace and strength, free will throws God down in helplessness and exalts man as the only one with the ability to win the day!
Thank God His great salvation is not merely a possibility based on an if you will … then God can . . . , but it is based on a certainty. It is an absolute certainty because God . . .!
Must the sinner be willing to come to Christ before he can be saved? Of course he must, but that is not the question. Is man able to make himself willing to come? Absolutely not. Is God’s whole scheme of grace to fail because of the inability and stubbornness of man? No, my friend, the Bible assures us that the God of grace is also the God of power. “Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power…” (Ps. 110:3) in a sure promise! Were those who believed the gospel in Acts 13:48 willing to be saved? Did Lydia in Acts 16:14 willingly open her heart to Christ as Paul preached to her? Were the men in Acts chapter two willing to seek mercy? The answer is obvious, of course they were willing – in all three cases. The real question is this: “Who and what made them willing?” Read each instance and see if it was the power of free will or the power sovereign grace. The real question is this: “How can a dead sinner with a carnal mind actively opposed to God and righteousness be so changed as to be willing and sincerely desirous of being saved unto holiness?” Exactly how God accomplishes this grand and glorious “mystery” (John 3:8) is beyond me, but I know He does it, and I also know it is ALL His doing.
I know not how this saving faith To me He did impart, Nor how believing in His Word Wrought peace within my heart.
I know not how the Spirit moves, Convincing men of sin, Revealing Jesus through the Word, Creating faith in Him.
But I Know WHOM I Have Believed!
How to Face Hard Holiday Feelings with Jesus
Discover how to navigate difficult holiday emotions with faith, honesty, and discretion by seeking Jesus first and maintaining a hopeful perspective. Learn practical steps rooted in scripture to process your feelings with clarity and peace, even in challenging times.
December 5 Afternoon Verse of the Day
THE CLAIM
Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me. But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him. (10:25–31)
But Jesus already had told them plainly who He was (cf. 5:17ff.; 8:12, 24, 58); in fact, He had spent the last three years doing so. Not only that, the works that He did in the Father’s name also demonstrated that He was the Messiah; the Son of God; God in human flesh (cf. vv. 32, 38; 3:2; 5:36; 7:31; 11:47; 14:11; Acts 2:22). The Lord’s twice-repeated declaration, you do not believe, indicates that the problem was not due to any ambiguity in the revelation of the truth, but rather to their spiritual blindness. They lacked understanding, not because they lacked information, but because they lacked repentance and faith. Their unbelief was not due to insufficient exposure to the truth, but to their hatred of the truth and love of sin and lies (John 3:19–21). Anyone who willingly seeks the truth will find it (7:17), but Jesus refused to commit Himself to those who willfully rejected the truth. Had He again given them the plain answer they were demanding, they would not have believed Him anyway (cf. 8:43; Matt. 26:63–65; Luke 22:66–67).
From the perspective of human responsibility, the hostile Jews did not believe because they had deliberately rejected the truth. But from the standpoint of divine sovereignty, they did not believe because they were not of the Lord’s sheep, which were given Him by the Father (v. 29; 6:37; 17:2, 6, 9). A full understanding of exactly how those two realities, human responsibility and divine sovereignty, work together lies beyond human comprehension; but there is no difficulty with them in the infinite mind of God. Significantly, the Bible does not attempt to harmonize them, nor does it apologize for the logical tension between them. For example, speaking of Judas Iscariot’s treachery, Jesus said in Luke 22:22, “The Son of Man is going [to be betrayed] as it has been determined.” In other words, Judas’s betrayal of Christ was in accord with God’s eternal purpose. But then Jesus added, “Woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!” That Judas’s betrayal was part of God’s plan did not relieve him of the responsibility for his crime. In Acts 2:23 Peter said that Jesus was “delivered over [to the cross] by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God.” Yet he also charged Israel with responsibility for having “nailed [Jesus] to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.” God’s sovereignty never excuses human sin. (For a more complete discussion of the interplay of divine sovereignty and human responsibility, see the exposition of 6:35–40 in chapter 20 of this volume.)
Repeating what He said in His discourse on the Good Shepherd (see the exposition of vv. 3–5 in the previous chapter of this volume), Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” The elect will heed Christ’s call to salvation and continue in faith and obedience to eternal glory (cf. Rom. 8:29–30).
The Lord continued by articulating the wonderful truth that those who are His sheep need never fear being lost. “I give eternal life to them,” Jesus declared, “and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” Nowhere in Scripture is there a stronger affirmation of the absolute eternal security of all true Christians. Jesus plainly taught that the security of the believer in salvation does not depend on human effort, but is grounded in the gracious, sovereign election, promise, and power of God.
Christ’s words reveal seven realities that bind every true Christian forever to God. First, believers are His sheep, and it is the duty of the Good Shepherd to protect His flock. “This is the will of Him who sent Me,” Jesus said, “that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day” (6:39). To insist that a true Christian can somehow be lost is to deny the truth of that statement. It is also to defame the character of the Lord Jesus Christ—making Him out to be an incompetent shepherd, unable to hold on to those entrusted to Him by the Father.
Second, Christ’s sheep hear only His voice and follow only Him. Since they will not listen to or follow a stranger (10:5), they could not possibly wander away from Him and be eternally lost.
Third, Christ’s sheep have eternal life. To speak of eternal life ending is a contradiction in terms.
Fourth, Christ gives eternal life to His sheep. Since they did nothing to earn it, they can do nothing to lose it.
Fifth, Christ promised that His sheep will never perish. Were even one to do so, it would make Him a liar.
Sixth, no one—not false shepherds (the thieves and robbers of v. 1), or false prophets (symbolized by the wolf of v. 12), nor even the Devil himself—is powerful enough to snatch Christ’s sheep out of His hand.
Finally, Christ’s sheep are held not only in His hand, but also in the hand of the Father, who is greater than all; and thus no one is able to snatch them out of His hand either. Infinitely secure, the believer’s “life is hidden with Christ in God” (Col. 3:3).
The Father and the Son jointly guarantee the eternal security of believers because, as Jesus declared, “I and the Father are one” (the Greek word one is neuter, not masculine; it speaks of “one substance,” not “one person”). Thus their unity of purpose and action in safeguarding believers is undergirded by their unity of nature and essence. The whole matter of security is summarized in our Lord’s own words in John 6:39–40:
This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.
Incensed by what they accurately and unmistakably perceived as another blasphemous claim to deity by Jesus, the Jews, self-righteously exploding in a fit of passion, picked up stones again to stone Him—the fourth time in John’s gospel that they had attempted to kill Him (5:16–18; 7:1; 8:59). Though the Romans had withheld the right of capital punishment from the Jews (18:31), this angry lynch mob was ready to take matters into its own hands.
MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). John 1–11 (pp. 441–443). Moody Press.
Christ, the Calvinist
John 10:27–29
“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.”
One time, after I had preached a sermon from John touching on some of the main points of the Reformed faith, I found a copy of that week’s bulletin on which someone had scribbled his opinion of the message: “I’m sick of Calvinism in every sermon.”
The message did not particularly bother me. Notes like that seldom do. But I found it surprising that the person who wrote the note somehow regarded Calvinism as a system of thought that could well be dispensed with while, nevertheless, as he assumed, still preserving Christianity. In other words, this person, like many others, somehow regarded the doctrines that go by the name of Calvinism as at best an addition to the pure gospel and at the worst a system that is opposed to it. Is this true? Are the doctrines of grace wrong? One proof that they are not is seen in the verses to which we come in this chapter.
Historic Calvinism
The verses I have in mind are those in which the Lord Jesus Christ spoke plainly to his enemies, saying that those who do not believe on him do not believe because they are not his sheep, that those who are his sheep believe and follow, that this is true because they are given to him by the Father, that these who are given to him by the Father inevitably come to him and, finally, that these who come will never be lost. This is a message of man’s complete ruin in sin and God’s perfect remedy in Christ, and it can be expressed in the distinctive points of Calvinistic theology. Before we look at these points in detail, however, we should see that far from being an aberration or addition to the gospel, these truths have always belonged to the core of the Christian proclamation and have been characteristic of the church at its greatest periods.
To begin with, the doctrines of grace that have become known as Calvinism were most certainly not invented by Calvin, nor were they characteristic of his thought alone during the Reformation period. As we shall see, these are the truths taught by Jesus and confirmed for us in Scripture by the apostle Paul. Augustine argued for the same truths over against the denials of Pelagius and those who followed him. Luther was a Calvinist. So was Zwingli. That is, they believed what Calvin believed and what he later systematized in his influential Institutes of the Christian Religion. The Puritans were also Calvinists; it was through them and their teaching that both England and Scotland experienced the greatest and most pervasive national revivals the world has ever seen. In that number were the heirs of John Knox: Thomas Cartwright, Richard Sibbes, Richard Baxter, Matthew Henry, John Owen, and others. In America, thousands were influenced by Jonathan Edwards, Cotton Mather, and George Whitefield, all of whom were Calvinists.
In more recent times the modern missionary movement received nearly all its direction and initial impetus from those in the Calvinistic and Puritan tradition. The list includes such men as William Carey, John Ryland, Henry Martyn, Robert Moffat, David Livingstone, John G. Paton, John R. Mott, and many others. For all these the doctrines of grace were not an appendage to Christian thought but were rather that which was central and which most fired and gave form to their preaching and missionary efforts.
This, of course, is precisely why I am reviewing this history—to show that the doctrines known as Calvinism are not something that emerged late in church history but rather are that which takes its origins in the teachings of Jesus, which has been found throughout the church in many periods, and which has always been characteristic of the church at its greatest periods of faith and expansion. It follows from this that the church of Jesus Christ will again see great days when these truths are widely proclaimed, and proclaimed fearlessly.
Jesus is our example. We sometimes think of these doctrines as household doctrines; that is, as truths to be proclaimed only to those who already believe. But this was not Jesus’ procedure. He taught them also to his enemies. In this case, they had come to him with the implication that he was responsible for their failure to believe; they had said, “If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” He answered this, not so much with a statement concerning his identity as the Messiah (although he did say that his words and works authenticated him), but much more importantly by a full statement of man’s utter inability to choose God and of the necessity for divine grace in each step of salvation. Did they want it told plainly? Well, this is the truth told plainly: “You do not believe because you are not my sheep.… My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand” (vv. 26–29).
State of the Lost
First of all, Christ’s words reflect the desperate state of the lost; that is, the state of all men as they are apart from Christ. The teachings on this point are not so much direct as indirect. Still they underlie the positive points made in this passage.
In reference to man’s desperate state apart from Christ, these verses show that he has lost spiritual life; otherwise it would not be necessary for Christ to speak of it as a gift. Originally, man had life. When the first man and woman were created by God they were created with that life that shows itself in communion with him. Consequently, we learn that they communed with God in the Garden in the cool of the day. When they sinned, this life was lost, a fact evidenced by their hiding from God. This has been the state of people ever since. Consequently, when the gospel is preached, those who hear it turn away unless God intervenes to do a supernatural work of regeneration in their hearts.
Moreover, the desperate state of people apart from Christ is suggested by the fact that no one can recover this life except as a free gift from God. Jesus calls it a gift, for it is undeserved and unearned. If it were earned, it would be wages; if it were merited, it would be a reward. But eternal life is neither of these. It is a gift, which means that it originates solely in God’s good will toward men.
As a last thought on this subject, it is also true, is it not, that men and women will perish except for this gift. Jesus says of those to whom he gives life that “they shall never perish.” But since he makes this promise, it must be because we will perish if he does not intervene. We are sinners. Sin makes us heirs of God’s wrath. If God does not intervene, we stand under divine judgment, without hope, facing the punishment due us for our own sins. According to these verses, we cannot even come to Christ, for we are not of his sheep and so lack the ability to hear his voice and turn to him.
Grace
This brings us to the next thought. For while it is true that in ourselves we cannot come to Christ and so lie under God’s just condemnation, the main point of these verses is that God has nevertheless acted in grace toward some. Earlier this was expressed by saying that Christ died for the sheep; in other words, by the doctrine of a particular redemption (v. 11). In this section we are told that Jesus has given eternal life to the same people (v. 28), and that these are those whom God has given him (v. 29).
You cannot trace the origins of our salvation farther back than that. In this, as in all things, the origins are to be found in God. Some say, “But surely God called them because he foresaw that some would believe.” But it does not say that. Others say, “He chose them because he knew in advance that they would merit salvation.” It does not say that either. What it does say is that the initiative in salvation lies with God and that this is found, on the one hand, in God’s electing grace whereby he chooses some for salvation entirely apart from any merit on their own part (which, of course, they do not have) and, on the other hand, in Christ’s very particular atonement by which he bore the penalty for the sins of these people.
I need to say also, however, that there are aspects of the death of Christ that apply to the world at large. I am not denying that. The death of the Lord Jesus Christ is a revelation of the nature of God. It is a revelation of his hatred of sin in that Christ died for it. It is most certainly a revelation of God’s love, for love lay behind it. It is an example to the race. These things are true. But in addition to these there is also a sense in which the Lord Jesus Christ died particularly and exclusively for his own, so that he literally bore the penalty for their particular sins, that they might be forgiven.
These truths do not make us proud, as some charge. Rather they increase our love for God who out of pure grace saves some when none deserve it.
An Effective Call
The third of the reformed doctrines presented by Jesus is the effective call: that is, that God’s call of his people is accompanied by such power that those whom he calls necessarily come to him, believing on Christ and embracing Christ for salvation. Jesus expresses this by saying: “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me” (v. 27). It is a mark of the sheep that they both hear and follow their shepherd.
In the Puritan era it was the habit of many preachers to play on these two characteristics, calling them the marks of Christ’s sheep. In days when there were many flocks of sheep it was necessary to mark the sheep to distinguish them. In our day, at least on cattle, this is done by branding. On sheep it was often done by cutting a small mark into the ear. “Well,” said the Puritans, “each of Christ’s sheep has a double mark—on his ear and on his foot. The mark on his ear is that he hears Christ. The mark on his foot is that he follows him.”
This is true, of course. It leads us to ask, “Do we hear? Do we follow?”
How many of those who come to church on a typical Sunday morning really hear the voice of Christ or have ever heard it? They hear the voice of the preacher; they hear the voices of the members of the choir. But do they hear Christ? If they do, why are they so critical of what they hear? Why are their comments afterward so much more about the Lord’s servant than the Lord? Those who are Christ’s hear Christ. And they follow him. But how many who come to church are really following? Most seem to make good leaders—in their own cause—but they are poor followers. They make good critics—of the Bible and of Christ’s people—but they are poor disciples. They make respectable wolves, for they ravage the flock, but they do not have the traits of the sheep and would even be contemptuous of them if they had an understanding of what those traits are.
Do not presume on your relationship to Christ. You are not his unless you hear his voice and follow him. Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). He said, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Rev. 2:7).
Never Lost
Finally, notice that these verses also speak at length of God’s perseverance with his saints. That is, they teach us that none whom God has called to faith in Christ will be lost. Indeed, how can they be, if God is responsible for their salvation? Jesus says, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand” (v. 28).
“But,” says someone, “suppose they jump out of their own accord?”
“They shall never perish,” says the Lord.
“Never?”
“No, never,” says Jesus. “They shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.”
This does not mean that there will not be dangers, of course. In fact, it implies them; for if Jesus promises that no one will succeed in plucking us from his hands, it must be because he knows that there are some who will try. The Christian will always face dangers—dangers without, from enemies, and dangers within. Still the promise is that those who have believed in Jesus will never be lost. We may add that the Christian may well be deprived of things. He may lose his job, his friends, his good reputation. Still he will not be lost. The promise is not that the ship will not go to the bottom, but that the passengers will all reach shore. It is not that the house will not burn down, but that the people will escape safely.
Do you believe this promise, that you are safe in Jesus’ hands, that you will never be lost? Are you able to trust God for this as you have for other truths? I suppose there is a way of explaining away almost everything, but I must say that I do not see how the opponents of eternal security can explain away this text. Am I Christ’s? Then it is he who has promised that neither I nor any who belong to him shall perish. If I do perish, then Jesus has not kept his word, he is not sinless, the atonement was not adequate, and no one in any place can enter into salvation.
I wish that all God’s children might come to know and love these truths. I wish that many might be saved by them.
We live in a day that is so weak in its proclamation of Christian doctrine that even many Christians cannot see why such truths should be preached or how they can be used of the Lord to save sinners. This was not always so. It was not always the case that these truths were unused by God in saving sinners.
Did you know that it was these doctrines, particularly the doctrine of God’s perseverance with his people, that God used to save Charles Haddon Spurgeon, one of the greatest preachers who ever lived? Spurgeon was saved when he was only fifteen years old, but before that time he had already noticed how friends of his, who had begun life well, made shipwreck of their lives by falling into gross vice. Spurgeon was appalled by such things. He feared that he himself might fall into them. He reasoned like this: “Whatever good resolutions I might make, the probabilities are that they will be good for nothing when temptation [assails] me. I [will] be like those of whom it has been said, ‘They see the devil’s hook and yet cannot help nibbling at his bait.’ I [will] disgrace myself.” It was then that he heard of the truth that Christ will keep his saints from falling. It had a particular charm for him and he found himself saying, “If I go to Jesus and get from him a new heart and a right spirit, I shall be secured against these temptations into which others have fallen. I shall be preserved by Him.” It was this truth along with others that brought Spurgeon to the Savior.
I wish it might be the same with you! I do not preach a gospel that has a shaky foundation. I do not proclaim a religion of percentages and probabilities. I proclaim the message of Christ, Paul, Augustine, Luther, Calvin, and all others who have found God to be their pure hope and salvation. It is the message of man’s complete ruin in sin and of God’s perfect remedy in Christ, expressed in his election of a people to himself and his final preservation of them. God grant that you might believe it wholeheartedly.
Boice, J. M. (2005). The Gospel of John: an expositional commentary (pp. 777–782). Baker Books.
27, 28. My sheep listen to my voice, and I know them, and they follow me, and I give them everlasting life, and they shall certainly never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand. Looking at this sublime sentence from a merely formal point of view we notice six parts, arranged in beautiful reciprocal relationship. This may be represented as follows:
My sheep
I
- listen to my voice
& - know them;
- follow me
& - give them everlasting life;
- shall certainly never perish
& - will take care that no one shall snatch them out of my hand.
However, it must be stressed that this is true only from a formal point of view. It is certainly not fair to base wrong doctrinal conclusions upon this rhetorical arrangement, and to say, for example, that in actual fact, the six elements are all simultaneous. Very clearly, people cannot make themselves sheep (6:39, 44; 10:29); sheep do not hear a voice unless that voice has gone forth first of all; and sheep do not follow unless the shepherd has first pushed them out of the fold and has gone on ahead of them (10:3, 4). Again, it is because the good shepherd gives to the sheep everlasting life that they never perish and that no one snatches them out of his hand. The sheep are not passive. Indeed not! They listen; they follow. But the action results from the gift. They themselves are the gift of the Father to the Son. That thought is stressed in this very context (verse 29).
With slight variation all of these six elements have been mentioned before. Hence, for the explanation we simply refer to the passages where the same truths were expressed previously. Kindly turn to the indicated references:
- My sheep listen to my voice. See on 10:3, 8, 16.
- And I know them. See on 10:3, 14.
- And they follow me. See on 10:4, 5.
- And I give them everlasting life. See on 10:10 and on 3:16.
- And they shall certainly never perish. See on 3:16.
- And no one shall snatch them out of my hand. See on 10:12.
What is stated here, accordingly, amounts in brief to this: “My sheep—having become such because they were given to me by my Father (10:29)—put forth an effort to catch the sound of my voice. They do this constantly. They eagerly obey me, placing their full confidence in me. I know them, acknowledging them as my very own. They follow me, but turn away from strangers. I give to them here and now (as well as in the future) that life which is rooted in God and which pertains to the future age, to the realm of glory. In principle it becomes their possession even before they reach the shores of heaven. That life is salvation full and free, and manifests itself in fellowship with God in Christ (17:3); in partaking of the love of God (5:43), of his peace (16:33) and of his joy (17:13). Hence, it differs in quality from the life which characterizes the present age, being its very opposite. And it never ends. The sheep shall certainly never perish; i.e., they shall never enter the state of wrath, the condition of being banished forever from the presence of the God of love. And no one shall snatch them out of my hand (symbolizing my power).”
Some commentators insist that when Jesus states, “They shall certainly never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand,” he does not really mean this. They are so sure that believers may, after all, be lost, that they are unwilling to do justice even to the plain sense of Scripture. But it must be borne in mind, as has been shown previously (see Vol. I, p. 46; see also on 4:4; 6:39, 44) that in the Fourth Gospel the idea of predestination (and at times also its corollary: the perseverance of the saints, their being guarded by the power of God, so that they keep clinging to him to the very end) is constantly stressed (see 2:4; 4:34; 5:30; 6:37, 39, 44, 64; 7:6, 30; 8:20; 13:1; 18:37; 19:28). Hence, it is utterly futile to deny this or to seek refuge in a passage which, considered merely on the surface, may seem to be in conflict with this consistent teaching. Thus, 15:6 is often pressed into service by those who deny what John so clearly emphasizes; but see on that verse. The basis of man’s salvation rests forever in God, not in man! That point is not grasped by those who teach that man is able, after all, to tear himself loose from the power of God. Thus, in essence, God is dethroned, and the comfort of the assurance of salvation is lost.
Hendriksen, W., & Kistemaker, S. J. (1953–2001). Exposition of the Gospel According to John (Vol. 2, pp. 122–123). Baker Book House.
5 Dec 2025 News Briefing
Communism. Is It Here? You Tell Me.
From where does our commitment to freedom come? Are we living it? Do we fully grasp what is happening around us? Is communism creeping forward? Are we stepping up? If not us, who? Forty-two years ago, an Aeroflot plane put me down in Moscow, paint peeling, airport corridors lined with drunk Red Army soldiers, all with AK-47s. A pie-eyed Oxford student, raised in rural Maine by the Greatest Generation, the grayness, laziness, depression, and fear in people – was hard to digest. Communism had sucked the life, the once-Christian souls, out of this society.
Trump Rolls Back Biden-Era Fuel Standards, Admin Says It Will Save Americans $109 Billion
“We’re officially terminating Joe Biden’s ridiculously burdensome, horribly actually, [fuel economy] standards that imposed expensive restrictions and all sorts of problems,” Trump said. “Today my administration is taking historic action to lower costs for American consumers, protect American auto jobs, and make buying a car more affordable and safer.”
GAO Finds Fraud in Obamacare Subsidies, $94 Million Paid to Insurers for Deceased People
The Government Accountability Office found fraud in Obamacare subsidies, including $94 million paid to insurers for deceased people, The committee on Wednesday announced the GAO’s findings, which included 58,000 Social Security Numbers receiving advanced premium tax credits that matched Social Security death data. At least 7,000 of those were dead before coverage started. GAO investigators created fictitious identities with fake or never-issued SSNs, all of which submitted applications that were approved in late 2024, and 18 out of 20 of those that are still receiving subsidized Affordable Care Act coverage this year.
Britain is halfway into the Great Reset – Here’s the proof
Britain is being pushed into the Great Reset, with the government introducing new laws to limit freedom, and the economy is being deliberately destroyed through excessive taxation and wasteful spending, Dr. Vernon Coleman writes. How are the Great Reset conspirators able to implement their plan so easily? Because Keir Starmer, Rachel Reeves, David Lammy et al are corrupt.
The Trump offer that no country in the region can afford to refuse
A new transit corridor that will be built in Armenia jointly with the United States is the missing link in connecting nations from Central Asia to Europe carving a path all the way to the Middle East with the hope of creating trade—and, ultimately, peace.
Anti-Hamas militia leader Yasser Abu Shabab reportedly killed in clan dispute in Rafah
Palestinian social media accounts in Gaza reported the death of Yasser Abu Shabab, the leader of the anti-Hamas Popular Forces, on Thursday afternoon. Abu Shabab was the leader of a Gazan militia that collaborated with Israel and opposed Hamas. According to reports in Israeli media, sources in the Popular Forces militia said that Abu Shabab was killed in an internal dispute between several Gazan families, when one of the men fired at him. The sources said it was not a confrontation with Hamas.
Iraq briefly blacklists Hezbollah & Houthis before reneging under Iranian pressure
The Iraqi government designated the Iran-backed Lebanese Hezbollah and Yemeni Houthis as terror groups before retracting the designation within several hours on Thursday. The Official Gazette of the Iraqi Justice Ministry published a document, dated to Nov. 18, listing and freezing the assets of the two terror groups among organizations suspected of terrorism and financing extremism. The move was most likely carried out under heavy pressure from Washington, as the Iraqi government is seen as being close to the Iranian regime.
Pope Leo Striking Out in Lebanon
Arriving in the war-torn and Hezbollah-dominated country, Pope Leo delivered public remarks ranging on a variety of topics – peace, religious coexistence, the country’s economic crisis, political divisions, and lingering effects of the Israel-Hezbollah war. He even delved into international diplomatic issues that would otherwise be far afield from his theological role as head of the Catholic church, seen by many as a foul ball. Urging Christians to remain without addressing the threats to them and the obligation to protect the Christian population is analogous to telling an abused wife to remain in her abusive home without ensuring her protection. Essentially, he threw his faithful under the wheels of his own Popemobile.
Admiral says there was no ‘kill them all’ order in boat attack, but video alarms lawmakers
A Navy admiral commanding the U.S. military strikes on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean told lawmakers Thursday that there was no “kill them all” order from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, but a stark video of the attack left grave questions as Congress scrutinizes the campaign that killed two survivors.
Israeli archaeologists uncover remains of dramatic mountaintop royal palace
The discovery expands what is known about Alexandrium, the palace fortress built by the Hasmonean king Alexander Yannai and later renovated by Herod the Great. Alexandrium was described by Josephus as “a fortress built in great splendor on a high mountain.” The site played a central role in the violent struggles within the Hasmonean dynasty and later in Herod’s rise, serving at various times as a place of imprisonment, hospitality, and even royal burial.
IAF strikes Hezbollah terror targets in Lebanon
The Israeli Air Force on Thursday afternoon began conducting strikes on Hezbollah terrorist targets in Southern Lebanon. The attacks occurred about an hour after the IDF warned residents of two Lebanese towns to stay clear of Hezbollah infrastructure. “In the near future, the IDF will strike military infrastructure belonging to the Hezbollah terror organization across Southern Lebanon, in order to address Hezbollah’s prohibited attempts to rebuild,”
Iran launches large-scale military drill in the Gulf
Iran begins a wide naval exercise, issuing a stern warning to American vessels in the area. The drill’s purpose: demonstrating deterrence capabilities and sending a “dual message” to the region.
Australia Sees Continued Surge in Antisemitic Attacks as Jewish Leaders Warn of Global Threat
Antisemitic incidents in Australia remained at “unprecedentedly high levels” over the past year, as the country’s Jewish community faced a relentless wave of hostility and targeted attacks, according to a new report released on Tuesday The report, published by the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ), said the country recorded 1,654 antisemitic incidents during the 12-month period from Oct. 1, 2024, to Sept. 30, 2025.
‘Pro-Bible is pro-Israel,’ Huckabee tells 1,000 US pastors in Jerusalem
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee on Wednesday urged more than a thousand visiting American pastors and Christian leaders to “light the pulpits of America” with the truth about Israel, and to quash criticism of the Jewish state from both the left and the right with the facts and the Bible. “We need the pulpits of America to be on fire with the truth,” Huckabee said in a fiery address. “I pray that you don’t just go back home and say, ‘Oh, I had wonderful trip. I took some good pictures. I saw some wonderful sites.’ I hope you will go back to the U.S. with the fire of God burning in your bones and say it is time to be pro-biblical, because then you will find your voice to be pro-Israel.”
Tucker Carlson booed at the largest gathering of pastors in Israel since the establishment of the state.
Foreign-run social media ‘sleeper cells’ trying to sway upcoming elections, watchdog warns
As Israel heads toward new elections next year, its political system is facing what researchers describe as an unprecedented digital threat. In a sharply worded warning sent Wednesday to all members of Knesset, the watchdog group FakeReporter cautioned that hostile foreign actors are dramatically escalating their online operations.
Why Are So Many Tossing Away Biblical Faith?
In 2020, 64% of people of all ages were Christian. This number will shrink to between a little more than half (54%) and just above one-third (35%) of all Americans by 2070. But do not despair! There is hope in the headlines. And while what is happening in the church shocks us, it is not a surprise to God. … The core issue isn’t that people are falling away from church or even falling away from the faith. We’re talking about falling away as Judas did, from Jesus Himself. We’re talking about branches that cut themselves off from the vine. These are people who have—these words are stark—“trampled the Son of God underfoot . . . treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and . . . insulted the Spirit of grace” (Heb. 10:29). They Fall Away Because They Are Deceived
Ex–New York State official accused of spying for China called Hochul ‘more obedient’ than Cuomo, trial reveals
A former top New York state official who is accused of spying for China once remarked that New York Gov. Kathy Hochul was “much more obedient” than then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Linda Sun made the remark after she convinced Hochul, who served as Cuomo’s lieutenant governor at the time, to film a Lunar New Year video touting China’s New York consulate,
Trump Admin Dramatically Scales Back Work Permits For Asylum Seekers
The Trump administration is dramatically scaling back the timeframe in which asylum seekers and other foreign nationals can have valid work permits in the U.S. Work permits issued to foreign nationals who’ve applied for asylum or other humanitarian programs will only be valid for 18 months rather than five years, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on Thursday. The decision marks the latest action by the agency tasked with managing the country’s immigration system,
“We Must Protect Volodymyr”: Leaked Call Shows European Leaders Conspiring Against Trump Peace Plan
European leaders are claiming that Washington is looking to “betray” Ukraine and President Zelensky during potential formal peace negotiations with Russia. “There is a possibility that the United States will abandon Ukraine on territorial questions without providing clarity on security guarantees,” French President Emmanuel Macron reportedly said according to a “leaked” phone call record with other European leaders. Likely this was an intentional leak and bit of strong signaling to the Trump administration, as Europe has not been on board with the US President’s proposed peace plan from the start. Finland’s President Stubb followed with, “We must not leave Ukraine and Volodymyr alone with these people” – after NATO Secretary General Rutte chimed in: “I agree with Alexander. We must protect Volodymyr.”
Shallow M5.8 earthquake hits NW China, Yellow alert for economic losses issued
A shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M5.8 struck southern Xinjiang, China at 07:44 UTC (13:44 local time) on December 4, 2025. The agency is reporting a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). The USGS issued a Green alert for shaking-related fatalities and a Yellow alert for economic losses.
Substack caves into the UK censorship regime and restricts UK users
Substack has implemented measures to comply with the UK’s Online Safety Act, which requires age verification for accessing certain types of content deemed “potentially harmful.” The obvious problem is: What information does the UK government deem “potentially harmful”?
Announced Job Cuts Hit 1.17 Million In 2025 – 54 Percent Higher Than Last Year
It is getting very hard to deny that the U.S. economy is moving in the wrong direction. Yesterday, ADP reported that the U.S. economy shed tens of thousands of jobs last month. Today, Challenger, Gray & Christmas is reporting that U.S. employers announced a grand total of 1.17 million job cuts through the first 11 months of 2025. That represents a 54 percent increase from the first 11 months of last year…
Edmonton Police Test Canada’s First Facial Recognition Body Cams
When fifty Edmonton, Alberta, police officers stepped onto city streets this week, they carried more than their standard-issue equipment. Clipped to their uniforms were small, black devices capable of something no other police body camera in Canada has done before: recognizing faces.
Study predicting global economic collapse due to climate change is retracted; what if we did the opposite of climate activists’ beliefs and just burned it all?
“According to Carbon Brief, the study was the second most referenced climate paper in 2024. Corporate media outlets, financial institutions, central banks and regulators rushed to cite this study as proof that climate change is not just an environmental issue but an extinction-level event for capitalism itself.”
NYC Mayor Adams signs executive orders against antisemitism and BDS
“Outgoing New York City Mayor Eric Adams signed two executive orders Wednesday aimed at countering antisemitism and preventing city funds from supporting the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
The Media’s Lies Against Israel Are Being Revealed, But Will The Truth Matter?
“This came as no surprise to those paying attention to the media spin against Israel and the Jews in the last several years. This has been part of my frustrating struggle to expose the truth for over two decades. Finally, the WMDs or “weapons of mediatic destruction” against Israel have been found and exposed, but will it make a difference? Will the truth matter?”
BOMBSHELL: Texas School Choice Dollars Are Funding Muslim Brotherhood Kingpin, Who Helped Build U.S. Recruitment and Fundraising Networks for Hamas and Al-Qaeda
Texas taxpayers, through the state’s new school-choice voucher program, are now bankrolling Hamed Ghazali, a top Muslim Brotherhood operative explicitly named in the organization’s 1991 Explanatory Memorandum as a central architect of its plan to “destroy Western civilization from within and sabotage its miserable house.” Ghazali didn’t just preach the ideology; he helped build the U.S.-based recruitment and fundraising networks that fed Hamas and Al-Qaeda, even elevating operatives linked directly to Osama bin Laden’s inner circle.
Trump Blasts Somali Immigrants: ‘Their country stinks, and we don’t want them in our country.’
“President Trump flatly believes that Somali immigrants should pack their bags, their Sharia law, and go back to where they came from. Before criticizing the US, they should go home and fix their own country, according to the commander-in-chief. Instead, these Muslim immigrants are given a crapload of freebies, the freedom to practice militant Islam while taking over entire cities, and the ability to bilk US taxpayers out of billions that were meant for hungry children. All of that is evidently just fine by Democrats as long as Somalis vote for them.”
BREAKING: CDC Child Death Records Reveal CATASTROPHIC Transgenerational Harm of Mass mRNA “Vaccination”
12,823 excess infant deaths have occurred since women of childbearing age were vaccinated. Genomic integration in mothers likely transfers Pfizer/Moderna genetic code into the baby.
Headlines – 12/05/2025
Egyptian official: Israel unilaterally opening Rafah crossing would violate Gaza truce
Abu Shabab led an anti-Hamas clan, which had received support from the Israeli government
Details emerge of IDF elite unit’s daring rescue mission in Gaza
‘A very bad year’: Despite Gaza truce, academic boycotts pile on, threatening Israel’s future
NYC Mayor Adams signs anti-BDS order weeks before Mamdani takes office
Accused of antisemitism, BBC orders staff to undergo anti-discrimination training
Israel cleared for Eurovision 2026 in EBU vote; Netherlands, Spain, Ireland, Slovenia quit
Anti-Israel activists disrupt Israeli consulate event at LA synagogue; two arrested
Man jailed in UK for sending antisemitic, abusive messages to Jewish lawmaker
Lithuanian court convicts leader of coalition party of inciting hatred against Jews
UK anti-Israel activist says raid on Elbit factory was about destroying weapons
Poll: Majority of Israelis oppose pardon for Netanyahu without admission of guilt
Netanyahu taps his military secretary, Roman Gofman, as next Mossad director
Dozens of masked Israelis riot, hurl stones after illegal West Bank outpost evacuated
Israel and Lebanon to hold 2nd meeting later this month on economic cooperation – report
Israel launches strikes on Hezbollah targets day after direct talks with Lebanon
IDF orders evacuation in southern Lebanon ahead of strike on Hezbollah sites
Iraq backtracks after listing Hezbollah and Houthis as terror groups
Iran to attend World Cup draw in US after boycott threat over visa issues
Ashkelon man indicted for allegedly spying for Iran as cases continue to pile up
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards threaten US warships as they stage naval exercise in Gulf
US raid allegedly killed Syrian undercover agent instead of ISIS official
Sudan: Samaritan’s Purse plane hijacked; suspect in custody
Trump praises Congo and Rwanda for their courage as they sign US-mediated peace deal
Afghan watchdog concludes billions in weapons U.S. left behind form ‘core’ of Taliban military
Russian spies infiltrate UK on cargo ships to scout military sites, find weaknesses
Britain and Norway Sign Deal to Jointly Patrol NATO’s Northern Waters For Russian Submarines
Putin says Russia will take all of Ukraine’s Donbas region militarily or otherwise
Melania Trump: 7 Ukrainian Children Have Been Reunited with Their Families
Israel and US sign agriculture trade agreement to clinch concessions on Trump tariffs
Poll: Trump’s own voters begin blaming him for affordability crisis
Rep. Ilhan Omar’s Links to Massive $1 Billion Somali Fraud Scheme Revealed
Ilhan Omar Threatens Trump Allies and Companies Collaborating with Trump Admin
Jake Tapper Misidentifies D.C. Pipe Bomb Suspect as a ’30-Year-Old White Man’
Jan. 6 pipe bomb suspect Brian Cole arrested, faces explosives charges, Trump DOJ says
State Department Orders Visa Rejections for Applicants Linked to Free Speech Censorship
New York Times sues Pentagon over ‘targeting’ First Amendment rights
Two Virginia brothers arrested for plot to wipe federal databases, steal sensitive records
Joe Rogan Says ‘AI Could Absolutely Return as Jesus’
Strong M6.0 solar flare erupts from Region 4300, brief G3 – Strong geomagnetic storm
False M5.9 earthquake alert near Dayton, Nevada caused by automated detection error
5.8 magnitude earthquake hits near Tumxuk, China
5.3 magnitude earthquake hits the Kermadec Islands region
5.1 magnitude earthquake hits the southern Mid-Atlantic Ridge
Popocateptl volcano in Mexico erupts to 20,000ft
Purace volcano in Colombia erupts to 17,000ft
Fuego volcano in Guatemala erupts to 16,000ft
Reventador volcano in Ecuador erupts to 16,000ft
Semeru volcano in Indonesia erupts to 15,000ft
Santa Maria volcano in Guatemala erupts to 14,000ft
Ambae volcano erupting after months of quiet, Vanuatu
Erika Kirk: America Is Facing a ‘Soul Problem,’ Not a Gun Violence Epidemic
UK town sees nearly 200 homes evacuated over potential explosives threat, 2 men arrested
Democrat announces articles of impeachment against Hegseth
US Vaporizes 22nd Venezuelan Drug Boat Amid Democrat Claims of Unlawful Orders
National Guard deployments to support ICE may be ‘long-term’: DoW official
Ilhan Omar says there are few undocumented Somali migrants in the country
House Democrats Vote Overwhelmingly Against Crackdown on Foreign Influence in American Schools
Minneapolis Chief: We Can’t Help ICE Because We Don’t Have Enough Cops to Deal with Crime
Somali national charged with kidnap , rape of 4 women including 15-year-old girl in Minnesota
Son of Chabad rabbi in Australia convicted of child sex abuse in long-running scandal
Police: Kansas ‘Teacher of the Month’ Groomed Boy into Sex, Showed Up at His Job When He Cut Her Off
‘Anti-trans’ teacher Enoch Burke to spend Christmas in jail after refusing to stay away from school
Women’s universities in Japan are slowly starting to accept trans students
Court rules NY’s efforts to censor pro-life pregnancy centers unconstitutional
RFK Jr Launches Probe Into School Accused Of Vaccinating Child Without Parental Consent
DOJ tries to shut down Pfizer clinical trial whistleblower after FDA admits COVID vax killed kids
Mid-Day Digest · December 5, 2025
“From The Patriot Post (patriotpost.us)”.
THE FOUNDATION
“The confidence of the people will easily be gained by a good administration. This is the true touchstone.” —Alexander Hamilton (1788)
IN TODAY’S DIGEST
- Executive News Summary
- Featured Analysis: FBI Finally Finds the Pipe Bomber?
- More Analysis
- Best of Right Opinion
- Best of Videos
- Short Cuts
- Today’s Meme
EXECUTIVE NEWS SUMMARY
The Editors
- The Washington Post invented “kill them all” hit piece: Admiral Frank M. “Mitch” Bradley, U.S. Special Operations Command commander, testified before Congress behind closed doors yesterday, where he confirmed that he was never given a “kill them all” order or any no-quarter order. This should be enough to put this lie to rest and force The Washington Post to issue a retraction and apology to Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. Its story, originating with anonymous sources, was obviously unbelievable from the beginning, as evidenced by The New York Times and even ABC’s Martha Raddatz taking the time to set the record straight. Raddatz pointed out that the surviving narco-terrorists were not “clinging to the wreckage” but apparently attempting to salvage the drugs to complete their smuggling mission. She also noted that a JAG officer was standing by to provide legal advice throughout the mission.
- Grand jury rejects second James indictment: New York Attorney General Letitia James got more good news yesterday after a grand jury in Norfolk, Virginia, rejected indicting her over the revived mortgage fraud case. The initial case was tossed after U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie ruled that Acting U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan had been unlawfully installed in her position and therefore lacked the legal authority to prosecute. Currie did not address the merits of the case against James, but it was a blow to the Trump administration, which could appeal the ruling. If they had been successful in obtaining a new indictment, it would have strengthened the legitimacy of their case against James in the eyes of the public. With this failure to indict, it’s also likely that former FBI Director James Comey, whose case was also tossed by Currie for the same reason, will not be re-indicted.
- Americans were lied to about Kirk: After TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk’s alleged assassin, Tyler Robinson, was captured and charged, it quickly became apparent both from his social media history and testimony from those who knew him that he held radical leftist views that motivated his actions. Despite this reality, a recent MRC poll found that just 24% of likely voters know that Kirk’s assassin was a radical leftist. The reason is likely twofold. First, the mainstream media intentionally avoided identifying Kirk’s killer as a leftist. Second, there has been a deranged effort by social media influencer Candace Owens to push outlandish conspiracy theories that call into question whether Robinson is actually Kirk’s killer. So, whether it’s coming from mainstream Leftmedia or a particular personality on the Right, there have been a lot of lies surrounding Kirk’s assassination.
- Trump’s border streak continues with best November numbers ever: Customs and Border Protection reported the best November numbers ever — just 30,367 encounters with unauthorized aliens. Border Patrol only apprehended around 7,350 illegal border crossers, and none of those were released into the country. Just 7,350 border crossers in the entire month of November is a staggeringly low figure compared to December 2023, when Biden’s Border Patrol was averaging 8,000 apprehensions per day. This is the 10th straight month in which fewer than 10,000 border jumpers were encountered, which CBP called an unmatched level of deterrence. Trump’s second term has recorded 117,105 apprehensions so far, fewer than the Biden administration’s monthly average. Illegal entry into the United States is quickly becoming a thing of the past.
- Duration of asylum work permits lowered: Donald Trump is serious about limiting unchecked immigration into the U.S. The immigration system was warped and twisted deliberately over decades, most egregiously by the Biden administration, so now Trump is tightening up all manner of immigration policy. Asylum seekers and applicants to other humanitarian programs used to be issued U.S. work permits valid for five years, which has now been slashed to just 18 months. This reversal of a Biden-era policy will allow the U.S. to vet and re-vet asylees and other immigrants more often, says Joe Edlow, director of USCIS. Edlow added: “All aliens must remember that working in the United States is a privilege, not a right.” The policy will go into effect today and, for now, will only apply to new work permits.
- Omar can’t explain fraud she enabled: “Uhhmmm, I think what happened, um, is that, you know, when you have these, kind of…” rambled Representative Ilhan Omar on the rampant Minnesota fraud perpetrated by Somalis in that state. Omar may have been so unprepared to answer because she never expected CNN’s Jake Tapper to ask her the obvious question: “Why [did] the fraud [get] so out of control in Minnesota?” Ilhan is herself a Somali immigrant, so she might’ve expected the question, especially since the new reports indicate that it was the bill she introduced, the 2020 MEALS Act, that led to $250 million intended to feed schoolchildren being pocketed by corrupt businessmen. One of those businessmen was Salim Ahmed Said, co-owner of Safari Restaurant, where Omar held her 2018 congressional victory party. Omar ended her rambling answer by reflecting blame onto her own bill: “The guardrails did not get created.”
- Ken Burns makes a correction: Ken Burns’s latest documentary, “The American Revolution,” includes several dubious woke-based narrative claims unsupported by the historical record. One of these “woke bombs” was so factually and historically inaccurate that Burns’s company, Florentine Films, issued a correction. Pushing a bogus sexism narrative, the documentary claimed that Revolutionary War heroine Margaret Corbin, who was famously wounded helping her fallen husband defend Fort Washington against the British in 1776, “would become the first woman to receive a lifetime disability pension, but at half the rate wounded men received.” The truth is that Corbin received exactly the same disability compensation as any disabled male soldier, which the 1780 Continental Congress set at “one-half of his monthly pay, from and after the time that his pay as an officer or a soldier ceases.” Florentine Films fixed the error for the master version that it will release to streaming services.
- NYT files lawsuit against the Pentagon over its restrictive press policies: The New York Times is suing the Pentagon over new press coverage rules, claiming, “If allowed to stand, that policy will upend the longstanding and ‘healthy adversarial tension between the government, which may seek to keep its secrets’ and ‘the press, which may endeavor to’ report them.” The filing asserts that the restrictions, effective since October, on reporter access violate the newspaper’s First and Fifth Amendment rights. Department of Defense officials are authorized to revoke credentials for “publishing stories that Pentagon leadership may perceive as unfavorable or unflattering,” the lawsuit states. Or to state the situation more fairly, the Pentagon can revoke credentials for publishing stories that are a threat to our national security.
- Job cuts hit 1.1M in 2025, highest since pandemic: The Challenger, Gray & Christmas consulting firm found that this year, companies have cut 1.1 million jobs. That is the highest number of jobs cut in a year since the 2020 COVID pandemic, and it’s only the sixth time in which more than one million jobs have been cut in a single year since 1993. According to the consulting firm, the two leading reasons behind these job cuts are Artificial Intelligence and economic factors tied to Donald Trump’s tariffs. In November, companies cited AI for 6,280 layoffs and cited tariffs for 2,061. Chief revenue officer for the consulting firm, Andy Challenger, observed, “Layoff plans fell last month, certainly a positive sign. That said, job cuts in November have risen above 70,000 only twice since 2008: in 2022 and in 2008.” The economy is shaping up to be the big issue in next year’s midterms.
Headlines
- DOJ sues six more blue states for hiding shady voter rolls from feds (PJ Media)
- Tim Walz promotes new Minnesota paid leave program open to illegal aliens (Washington Examiner)
- Mamdani to stop all homeless encampment sweeps in NYC (NY Post)
- Harvard Law prof who fired pellet gun near synagogue agrees to leave U.S. (NY Post)
- Americans made more than $1 billion in “Buy Now, Pay Later” purchases on Cyber Monday, and it only gets worse from there (Not the Bee)
- Netflix to buy Warner Bros. film and streaming assets in $72 billion deal (CNBC)
- Humor: Minnesota Vikings change name to Minnesota Somali Pirates (Babylon Bee)
For the Executive Summary archive, click here.
FEATURED ANALYSIS
FBI Finally Finds the Pipe Bomber?
Douglas Andrews
First things first: Chris Wray’s FBI didn’t fail you. They betrayed you.
Four years of “failure” in the DC Pipe Bomber case suggests an honest-but-incompetent effort on behalf of the world’s foremost investigative agency to find the person who planted functional and potentially deadly pipe bombs just outside the headquarters of the Democratic and Republican National Committees on the night of January 5, 2021. The reality, though, is that the FBI spent years persecuting every touristy grandma who wandered into the Capitol on January 6 while completely ignoring the trove of pipe-bomb evidence.
“We did not discover any new information,” said FBI Director Kash Patel, who added that his bureau “reexamined every piece of evidence, sifted through all the data, something that the prior administration refused and failed to do!”
Think about it: The pipe bomber committed his crime in the most heavily surveilled area of perhaps the most heavily surveilled city in the world. And the FBI was able to, within days of January 6, positively identify hundreds of Trump supporters who were at the Capitol that day and then branch out across the country to conduct armed pre-dawn raids at their homes. And yet Wray’s rotten-at-the-top FBI and the Biden Two-Tiered Justice Department somehow couldn’t manage to find this guy?
That guy is apparently 30-year-old Brian Cole Jr. of Woodbridge, Virginia, who’ll be arraigned in DC federal court this afternoon. Cole is a black man, and he’s apparently a Trump-hating social justice advocate, not some fringy bearded knuckle-dragging white Trumper. So he clearly doesn’t fit The Narrative, does he?
“How much earlier could we have caught this guy if resources hadn’t been diverted?” asked Democrat Senator Mark Warner, in a desperate attempt to divert attention from Cole’s political affiliation to changes Patel and President Donald Trump are making at the FBI.
Well, about four years earlier, as it turns out.
The smoking gun of the pre-Trump FBI’s lie? That’s easy, and it’s plain as day. Georgia Republican Congressman Barry Loudermilk’s House Administration Oversight Subcommittee told us more than a year ago that cellular carriers “have told Congress they possess intact phone usage data from the vicinity where two pipe bombs were planted” just before the January 6 Capitol riot, and this revelation is “directly disputing FBI testimony that agents couldn’t identify a suspect because the phone data was corrupted.”
As Patel put it yesterday, “We went back and looked at the cellphone tower data dumps. We went back and looked at the providers and what information they provided pursuant to search warrants at the time and asked questions such as, ‘Why weren’t all the phone numbers scrubbed?’ ‘Why aren’t they connected?’ And, ‘Why wasn’t there any geolocational data done?’ That is either sheer incompetence or complete intentional negligence — and neither of which is acceptable for this FBI.”
Here’s an armchair investigative tip: Instead of poring over the purchase receipts of umpteen-thousand pipe endcaps at Home Depot and Lowe’s and elsewhere, why not first narrow your search to, say, all the purchasers of an exceedingly rare pair of Nike Air Max Speed Turf shoes in black-gray-yellow and in a size befitting the profile of the 5-foot-7-ish person we’ve been seeing for years in all that video footage? I mean, those Nikes aren’t as rare as the size-12 Bruno Magli Lorenzos whose bloody footprints happened to be all over the crime scene at Nicole Brown Simpson’s house 31 years ago, but still. Apparently, only 25,000 of that specific Nike shoe were ever sold anywhere. Anyway.
Now if Patel and company could only figure out why the FBI didn’t investigate the group of guys who constructed that hangman’s gallows in broad daylight on Capitol Hill on the morning of January 6 — you know, the group of guys who are clearly visible in photos taken that day, the group of guys who dispatched two of their members to buy coffee at 6:45 a.m. from a coffee shop right across the street from the FBI building at 601 4th Street NW. That group of guys.
As to the pipe bomber, our Mark Alexander asks, “Other than his motivation, WHY did this take five years to resolve? The answer in part is because Biden’s weaponized DOJ spent so much time on the J6 prosecutions of mostly nonviolent offenders.”
On a related note, one news organization appears to be in big trouble for having jumped the gun on the identity of the pipe bomber. Someone might be announcing a massive lawsuit against Glenn Beck’s media empire in 5, 4, 3…
MORE ANALYSIS
- Nate Jackson: SCOTUS Green-Lights Texas Gerrymander — Democrats’ preferred gerrymandering is to segregate blacks into separate but equal districts and then pat themselves on the back for honest representation.
- Emmy Griffin: Obama Celebrates ObamaCare as It Defies ‘Affordability’ — With insurance premiums about to spike, the former president’s blithe self-congratulation is a testament to his utter disregard for the people he was supposed to help.
- Thomas Gallatin: America’s Military Men and Women More Faithful — The number of American military members actively committed to their faith has grown, even as the broader American culture has secularized.
- Brian Mark Weber: To Move, or Not to Move? — As more Americans pull up stakes and move to states that align more closely with their political views, it’s worth considering the consequences.
- Mark Alexander: Profiles of Valor: SSgt William Pitsenbarger (USAF) — “There was only one man on the ground that day that would have turned down a ride out of that hellhole — and that man was Pitsenbarger.”
- Ron Helle: Psalm 23 — “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”
BEST OF RIGHT OPINION
- Josh HammerThe Welcome Demise of Climate Change Catastrophism
- Victor Davis HansonA Newsom Nihilist Nomination?
- Michael ReaganExposing the Liberal Media’s Sloppy Hoaxes
- Michael BaroneClosing the Door on Immigration? Not Yet.
- Hans von SpakovskyThe Trump Case Is Finally Dead, but Fani Willis Left Fulton County Taxpayers on the Hook for Millions of Dollars
- Allen WestSympathy for the Devil
For more of today’s columns, visit Right Opinion.
BEST OF VIDEOS
- Tampon Tim and the Somali Pirates — Under Tim Walz’s administration, Minnesota Somalis have allegedly been defrauding taxpayers to pay terrorists, and Democrats have been sweeping it under the rug.
- Working Four Hours a Day Is Too Much for Food Stamps? — A viral TikTok user claims it’s “not fair” to work 20 hours a week in order to qualify for food stamps — and Michael Knowles has thoughts.
- Narcissism, Childhood Trauma, and the Sexual Revolution — Dr. Drew Pinsky unpacks how a culture of narcissism is warping our relationships, our politics, and the way we raise our kids.
- Villains, Victims, and Oz: A Review of ‘Wicked: For Good’ — Thomas, Sterling, and Andrew compare “Wicked” (2024) and “Wicked: For Good” (2025) to the original “Wizard of Oz” movie.
- Die for Big Slurpee — 7-Eleven fires a clerk for defending herself by shooting an attacker.
- Humor: Deporting Third-Worlders With This One Simple Trick — Don’t hit the “Fix Everything” button!
SHORT CUTS
Shot/Chaser
“How much earlier could we have caught this guy if resources hadn’t been diverted?” —Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) on the J6 pipe bomber arrest
“We did not discover any new information. … [We] reexamined every piece of evidence, sifted through all the data — something that the prior administration refused and failed to do.” —FBI Director Kash Patel explaining how the Trump FBI found the J6 pipe bomber
Braying Jennies
“I think what happened is that, you know, when you have these, kind of, new programs that are designed to help people, you’re oftentimes relying on third parties to be able to facilitate, and I just think that a lot of the COVID programs … were set up so quickly that a lot of the guardrails did not get created.” —Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) on Somali fraud
“Somali Minnesotans are a part of the fabric of our beautiful state. Somali Minnesotans are teachers, nurses, neighbors — our friends. Trump’s vile hate has no home here.” —Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan
“We are in every industry, and Minnesota would not be able to survive nor thrive without the Somali community here.” —Minnesota State Senator Zayna Mohamed
Race Bait
“I have inherited a white supremacist system.” —Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson
Friendly Fire
“He’s not going to be governor forever, and … he probably should not be our next president either. Just saying.” —actress Halle Berry on Gavin Newsom
A Trip Down Memory Lane
“Let’s go after the drug lords where they live with an international strike force. There must be no safe haven for these narco-terrorists, and they must know it.” —Joe Biden circa 1989
Head-Scratcher
“It is not surprising that the WashPost, which originated the Russia collusion hoax, the Kavanaugh hoax, and the first Trump impeachment hoax, would run another false info op. It IS a bit surprising that the NYT isn’t going along with it in their normal manner.” —Mollie Hemingway on WaPo’s claim that War Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered a second strike to kill narco-traffickers who survived the first strike
Political Futures
“Populism of either the Left or the Right is the mood of the country. And most voters don’t discern the difference between the two. They want someone who will fight for them, the little guy. … The traditional message of the Republican establishment worked in the Reagan years, and it worked other times. But it doesn’t work now. The wealth gap is far greater now than it was in the Reagan years. … Too often, Republican candidates speak like accountants.” —Gary Bauer
Insight
“I know in my heart that man is good, that what is right will always eventually triumph, and that there is purpose and worth to each and every life.” —Ronald Reagan (1911-2004)
TODAY’S MEME
For more of today’s memes, visit the Memesters Union.
| ON THIS DAY in 1865, slavery was officially abolished with the ratification of the 13th Amendment, one of the three Reconstruction Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. |
“From The Patriot Post (patriotpost.us)”.
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